


Full Moon Howling

by totemwolfie



Series: The Howling Series [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Guts, Fantasy, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Horror, Love, M/M, Monsters, Smut, Teenagers, Violence, Werewolves, full moon madness, packmates, werewolf violence, wolf packs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:35:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 60,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6502834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totemwolfie/pseuds/totemwolfie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The pack hoped to use their summer to recover from their experience with werewolf hunters, but instead find their own home threatened by another werewolf pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pack Party

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having some creative issues with this next book, but thought I would go ahead and post the first chapter. If everything goes well creative-wise then I should have another chapter for you next week! Keep howling xoxo.

Collin opened one of many boxes on his bed and started removing items from it. He had a lot to go through, he realized with a frown. This box was full of photographs and camera equipment. He set it down on the floor to go through later and picked up a second box, which was labeled simply ‘clothing,’ but when he opened it, it was bedsheets. He frowned, turning in a circle. Where the hell were his jeans?

He and Luke had moved in with the pack (for the summer at least.) It hadn’t been easy. With neither of them being eighteen, there was no taking off without consequences. But Mary had had a promotion at her new job and she was always busy, and Dan had been drinking more, and one night had threatened Collin. It had been enough for Collin to show Mary the picture he had saved on his phone from the night Dan had hit Luke.

So, it was a tentative move, but it was enough for now. 

There were two extra bedrooms on the second floor of the large pack house. Luke had taken the far one, and Collin, after a little while, decided to take the second one instead of moving straight in with Fox. He knew he would probably spend every night with Fox, but sometimes they argued, and sometimes Collin wanted his privacy, so for right now, they would have separate bedrooms.

It was the start on June. School had been out for a week and the pack was falling into their summer routine. Fox, Grey and Raven worked for a local contractor, helping roof houses and put up siding and even helping with the structure work of buildings. The money was good, it was outdoors, and required a lot of muscle. Fox especially liked it, because it gave him the experience to keep up the Howl house. 

The evening was hot and the sun was still high in the sky. Collin and Luke had made supper for the pack, who returned home from a long day of shingling houses in one of the Pineview City suburbs. 

“Food is ready!” Collin called through the house. 

“Smells good.” Fox stepped into the kitchen, freshly showered. His skin had a nice tan to it and he smelled clean and fresh. When he saw Collin he pulled him into a hug, pressing his nose into the boy’s slender, pale neck.

Collin squirmed and pushed on Fox’s shoulders. “Hey, I said the food was ready.”

“I thought I would start with dessert.”

“Ew, you guys,” Luke groaned. He was standing on the other side of the kitchen throwing a tossed salad together. He wrinkled his nose. 

“Get used to it,” Fox said with a little laugh, but he released Collin anyway so he could pull a large pan of lasagna from the oven. 

Luke had a feeling he would _never_ get used to watching Fox trying to get into his brother’s pants. He crinkled his nose and turned away.

Grey and Raven joined them in the kitchen. Grey was wearing shorts and a muscle-shirt and his hair was still damp from his showers. He’d had it cut recently, and while it was a little shorter, it was still just as wild as always. He had changed the coloring, so it was mostly black on top with white and grey streaks, mostly underneath.

“Lasagna!” Grey crowed happily. 

They sat down to eat together. Mostly it was quiet, Grey and Luke made small talk about a new Xbox game they were interested in.

“Grey, if you keep spending your money on shit, you’ll never be able to afford a car,” Fox said as he reached across the table for another piece of garlic bread.

“But dad,” Grey whined, “I want the new Star Wars game.”

Fox rolled his eyes. “You can’t borrow my car all summer.”

Grey pouted as he stabbed at his salad with a fork. “Collin?”

“Buy your own vehicle, Grey.”

“Raven?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine, fine,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “I actually saw something in my price range.”

“Your price range?” Fox said with a grin, “is it a Hot Wheel?”

“Bite me,” Grey responded with a little grunt, “it was…okay.”

“Well, all that matters is that it gets you where you need to go, right?” Luke offered.

Grey grinned at him and nodded. “See? Luke gets it.”

Collin looked like he wanted to say something smart, but he thought better of it and instead shook his head. “Can’t wait to see it, Grey.”

“You’ll be begging me for a ride.”

Collin arched an eyebrow and smiled suggestively. “Oh yeah?”

“Not that kind of ride!” Grey said as his face reddened. “Pervert.”

Luke glanced between the two before shaking his head. Raven had the same expression and Luke took some solace in that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to think about his friends’ sex lives. “Why do you say these things?”

Collin laughed loudly and Fox snorted into his glass, choking on a mouthful of iced tea.

“I got invited to a party in the city. A werewolf party. Want to come along?” Fox asked later as he and Collin did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. 

Collin shrugged. “Who else is going to be there?”

“Well, Annabel’s pack is hosting, so I’d say the entire werewolf population under twenty-five.” He shrugged. “It might be fun.”

They turned their attention to Grey as he came up the hallway, still messing with his hair.

“I’m guessing you’re going,” Collin said, looking Grey up and down. He was wearing all leather and mesh and had neon, glow-in-the-dark bracelets on his wrists.

“Verum and Vandina invited me,” he said, smiling a bit too brightly. He sat down on the sofa to lace up his boots.

“I swear you’d think the three of you were a pack, with the amount of time you spend together.”

“And the things you do together,” Fox said smirking. “He won’t be home tonight.”

Grey blushed and shrugged, hopping off the sofa to join them in the kitchen. Luke came in from the backyard with Raven. Raven’s feet were muddy and he smelled like water and the forest. His face was flushed and his hair untidy, signs that he’d Changed right before coming in the door.

“Raven, want to come?” Fox asked him. “Pack party tonight.”

“Not interested.”

“What’s a pack party?” Luke asked. He’d been out throwing the Frisbee for the dogs before Raven had come loping into the yard and interrupted. That was okay though, Luke felt like his arm was going to fall off from too much tossing of said Frisbee and playing tug-of-war with the always energetic dogs.

“It’s like a normal teenage party, but it’s just werewolves,” answered Fox.

Luke looked at his brother. He’d never been to a party before. And honestly, while they weren’t his thing, he was kind of interested to see what went on a werewolf party. His mind conjured up all sorts of images of gallant balls in the movies that always ended in some kind of horrible blood bath.

 _Wait, weren’t those vampire movies?_ He found himself frowning. _Wait, why would I want to go to that?_

Collin looked at his little brother. Luke had yet to show any permanent signs of damage from the hunters, but then again, they had no idea what had been done. Sometimes he woke up crying or screaming, but he could never remember _why_. He wasn’t sure that bringing Luke to his party was a good idea. They could be a little big over-whelming to a newcomer, and Luke was shy as it was.

“Are you going?” Luke asked Collin.

“Yeah,” he said. Truthfully, he wasn’t much for these parties. There was always a lot drinking, something Collin wasn’t a fan of but Fox sometimes was; he was a bit more of an introvert. “If you wanted to come, we could watch you.”

“Grey could watch you,” Fox threw in there.

Grey looked up with a frown. “I’m not going to babysit—“

“I don’t need babysat,” Luke said quickly, frowning at Grey.

The blue-eyed boy licked his lips. “I just meant, I have plans, I can’t watch you if I’m going to watch Fox all night,” he said, not wanting to insult Luke further by referring to what he actually was though: younger, smaller and vulnerable.

“I’ll behave,” Fox grunted with a frown. “We can leave at eight. Grey, I’m guessing you’re just driving yourself?”

“Yeah,” he said, knowing that he probably wouldn’t be home that night anyway. “Can I borrow your car?”

Fox made a show of dramatically sighing before tossing his car keys to omega wolf.

“I’m going to go change,” Collin said as he turned, heading up to his bedroom, hoping he had packed the right clothing. A lot of stuff was still at his first home, but he was sure he had packed all his favorite clothing.

But once he was in his room he stopped to frown to himself, looking out the single window. Pack parties could be fun, if you knew the right people. But Collin’s main concern was Fox. He was an alpha, and a young one, and when he drank he tended to get a little bit rash.

 _I guess I’ll be babysitting everyone tonight,_ he thought with an inaudible sigh.

…

At eight the four left, the three in Collin’s car and Grey borrowing Fox’s car. He waved to the others and promised to find them and say hi.

Collin took the keys from Fox. “My car, I’m driving,” he said as Luke hopped in the backseat. 

“How long do you think we’ll be here tonight?” Luke asked as he fidgeted. He had decided not to borrow Collin’s clothes, and chose to just wear jeans and a hoodie. He didn’t want to stand out. Collin had dressed rather tamely, wearing black jeans and a black and red plaid button-up with lots of bracelets and cuffs on his wrists.

Originally Collin had thought about wearing a skirt. Luke had been sitting on the bed at the time. “You’d seriously wear that?” he had asked.

Collin shrugged. “I’ve worn it before. But not to a party.” It was black and lacey and if he wore knee-high socks with it Fox would be on him like butterflies on flowers.

Luke had cocked his head. “But…it’s a skirt.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Collin had said, blushing. 

At first it had struck Luke as weird. Skirts were for girls, right? But what did that make kilts? Luke had sat, pondering the difference, when Collin had decided on his favorite pair of black jeans. 

“A few hours,” Fox answered, snapping Luke back to the present, as they started down the long lane toward the gravel road that would take them onto a short strip of highway and then finally the exit onto the interstate.

“I had a question,” Luke said. It had been gnawing him ever since they had talked about what the party would be like, “if there are so many werewolves there…won’t the hunters know?”

Collin glanced at Fox. Luke had been extremely jumpy since his abduction and torture. He seemed to always be looking for something, whether it was hunters or the werewolf Dave that had started the entire nightmare.

“No. These are usually spread by word-of-mouth between packs and friends, and there won’t be any bloodshed or even Changing.” Fox glanced back again. “It’s just a party, Luke. There will be music and drinking and dancing and talk. It’s nothing too scary.”

 _Really? Because that sounds really scary._ But it was too late to chicken out, so he put on his best fake smile and nodded. It was a long drive, taking the main interstate through the main metropolitan parts of Pineview City and into another of the suburbs, Walnut. The house they were going to was just outside of town and they had to park in a field.

“You said no one would be Changing,” Luke asked. “How come?”

“Things tend to escalate more quickly when you’re fur,” Fox explained as he stepped out of the car and stretched. “Unless you’re pack, or close friends, then it’s better to just stay in your human skin.”

Luke thought about that. A shudder passed through him as he remembered Dave Changing into his werewolf shape. It had been terrifying and had made him sick to watch. He thought about the werewolf’s sharp teeth and long claws, much more deadly than human fists, and thought about the damage they could easily do. 

“Luke?”

“Coming,” he said, darting after the two.

He followed behind the two older werewolves, peering around Fox as they approached the house. It was a large three-story farmhouse, and people seemed to be everywhere. There was a bonfire going in the yard and people were gathered around, talking. Everyone seemed to be holding red solo cups and there was loud music.

 _Maybe this is just like a normal party,_ Luke found himself thinking. Then he swallowed hard as nervous butterflies thumped around inside hm. “Um, am I going to be the youngest person here?”

“Probably,” Fox said.

They walked up the front steps to the house and Fox opened the door for them. Luke stumbled in surprise, assaulted by the sudden scent of so many werewolves in one place. Though Luke hadn’t showed any signs of changing on the outside, inside he’d noticed some differences. His hearing was getting better and now he was realizing that his sense of smell was off the charts. He blinked rapidly and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Collin and Fox paused from where they stood. Luke’s eyes dilated and his nostrils flared as he took another sharp breath. The scent went straight to his head, and for a moment it was all he could process. The world around him dropped away and he brain went static.

“Hey, you okay?” Collin dropped his hand to Luke’s shoulder, giving him a little shake.

“Y-yeah,” he said and exhaled heavily. He shook his head. “It just smells.”

“I wondered if you could pick up on that. What does it smell like?” Fox asked as he stood with his head cocked and hands on his hips.

The blond thought for a moment, before shaking his head. “I can’t…describe it. I guess it smells like you guys, but way more intense. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Well, your senses are starting to get sharper,” Fox said.

Collin looked worried, and Luke shrugged. “I’ll be okay. I’m getting used to it.”

“Okay. But if you want to leave at any time, just let me know, okay?” 

Luke nodded and followed the two into the house. It was loud, music was blasting over speakers and people were talking, shouting and laughing. The scent of werewolf was only dwarfed by the heavy scent of sweat, alcohol, smoke and other things he couldn’t identify. The lights were low and there were balloons all over the ceiling. The living room had been carved out into a dance floor and people were moving together to the music and a flashing strobe light. In other rooms of the house people were talking and drinking.

Luke rubbed his forehead and followed close behind Collin and Fox, only to fall behind when people walked around them. He looked around, lilac eyes darting around from person to person. He had a hard time believing that all these people were werewolves, but scent didn’t lie. He watched them move around, talking and dancing, kissing and drinking. Two men walked by him and Luke inhaled sharply. Their scent was heavy, lustful and excited, mixed with Change and smoke. 

Fox was suddenly at his shoulder, a beer in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. “Are you going to be okay, Luke?” He handed Luke the water. “You look flushed.”

“It’s just really hot in h-here,” he stuttered out before gratefully gulping the water. He hadn’t realized he was so thirsty. 

“Is it making you sick?”

“Not really…just…really confused. I’m just nervous…”

Fox smiled again, showing his teeth as he did. “Relax, wolf pup, no one will mess with you.”

“Where did Collin go?”

“He bumped into a couple of friends,” Fox said. “Let’s go find him.”

He followed Fox through the house, back to the big room, which was almost pitch black with brightly colored flashing lights and music so loud he though his heart would vibrate out of his chest. He leaned his hand against the wall and dug his nails into it. How many people were in this house? How many werewolves could gather in one place like this before it was too dangerous?

As his heart began to pound, Fox turned around and placed his hand over his own. “I need you to calm down, Luke,” he said, leaning in to speak in his ear. “I know you’re nervous, but being afraid will just draw attention. So please, relax, okay?”

He frowned, wanting to answer back, when Fox was distracted but a group of girls that greeted him with hugs and kisses on the cheek. Luke didn’t go forward to meet them, just stayed back against the wall. He wondered if Fox had forgotten about him as he went about greeting others and even accepting an invitation to dance with a tall red-head.

With a sigh, Luke stood clutching his water bottle between his hands. There was too much activity here. It was too hot, too clustered, and too loud. The scent of too many excited werewolves was playing havoc with his head. For a frightened moment he wanted to run out the door and hide in the car.

His heart was pounding and his hands trembling. Luke closed his eyes, trying to focus beyond the panic starting to build up inside him. Irrational fear started to spring up in his head, planting thoughts in his head that made the anxiety worse. He grabbed the necklace he always wore, rubbing his thumb against the polished arrowhead. He tried to focus on that, pushing the world away from him. 

In the midst of his panic, he spotted a familiar head of hair in the dancing crowd. _Grey._ The boy was dancing between Vandina and Verum. With a frown Luke watched the boy’s lean body move between the two as they danced together and rubbed together in a way that was entirely inappropriate. Luke blushed, turning away, about to leave.

“Luke!” Grey was at his side in the blink of an eye. He was sweaty and panting, his eyes bright with excitement and his smile was a blazing supernova. “Where are you going?”

“I was going to find Collin,” he confessed, staring down at his feet.

“Why?” 

“This just…isn’t my kind of place…” he mumbled.

Grey tilted his head, flicking strands of sweaty hair out of his face. He leaned one hand on his hip and looked around, before taking a deep breath. Then he nodded and leaned closer so Luke could hear him. With Grey’s hand on the wall beside his head, Luke felt trapped and leaned back, staring at the blue-eyed wolf nervously. “I can smell that you’re nervous and feeling a little out of place. But that’s normal! You aren’t used to parties. Just stay for a few minutes, okay? If you’re still feeling this way, find me and I can take you home.”

“I thought you didn’t want to babysit?” he snapped with a glare.

He flashed him a brilliant smile that made Luke feel a little dizzy. “I’ll do anything for you, Luke, you know that,” he said, touching his nose with his fingertip as he spoke. Luke was happy he was already leaning back, the touch made him feel light-headed for some reason.

“Oh.”

Grey smiled at him and stepped back. “Find me later, okay?” he said, before turning and walking back to Vandina and Verum, who had been dancing together. Vandina’s movements were almost as intoxicating as Grey’s smile and Luke watched as the pair welcomed Grey back between them. Then Grey was kissing Verum and Luke was looking away, blushing hotly.

 _It must be this place,_ he thought. _I don’t normally feel so weird._

A fast-moving pop sang blared through the speakers and Luke moved away as his ears started to ring. He looked around as his anxiety started to churn into annoyance and anger. Where the hell was Collin!? Luke didn’t want to admit he wanted a babysitter, but maybe just someone sticking around for support would be nice! He reached in his back pocket for his phone and fired off a text.

 **Luke (8:45pm)** _Where the hell r u? Why did u ditch me?_

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. He needed to chill! This was not the worst situation he’d ever been in. Not that long ago he had been kidnapped and tortured for days by werewolf hunters. That had been way scarier than this! He should have no problem navigating his way through the chaos of sweaty bodies.

With a determined breath he left the safety of his wall and walked through the crowd. People didn’t bother him. Some looked at him, others smiled, and he was even sniffed by a couple of people. He wondered what he smelled like. 

…

Collin turned in a circle and exhaled heavily. He hadn’t meant to lose both Fox and his brother, but it seems to have happened just that way. He had been pulled aside by a couple friends, she-wolves who were in a band similar to Howl, and were looking for a new lead guitarist. The lead singer, Camila, had asked Collin if he would have time to fill in until they found a proper replacement.

He’d said he would think about it, and then realized he had lost his packmates. 

“Did you happen to see where Fox went?” Collin has the she-wolf.

“Nope, sorry,” Camila said.

Collin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Hey, just text me about possible days, okay? My summer is pretty open. I better go find my pack.”

“Sure, later!”

Collin walked through the crowd. He hoped Fox hadn’t left Luke somewhere alone. He loved him beyond words, but Fox could be difficult sometimes. He was a young alpha, very attractive, and he had a lot of charisma, as most alphas did. However, he was also a flirt, and he liked to have fun, and before he’d become a werewolf he had started down a bad road. He’d been young, but that hadn’t stopped him from drinking early. Collin knew it was to fill the holes in his life, living with wealthy parents who didn’t have time for him, but that wasn’t an excuse to be a drunken ass.

He spotted Grey, dancing rather suggestively with Vandina and Verum. He was going to ask him if he’d seen Fox when he felt his phone buzz in his back pocket.

It was a text from Luke. 

**Collin (9:01pm)** _Didn’t mean to. Where are you?_

 **Luke (9:01pm)** _Behind you._

He turned around in surprise and saw Luke sitting alone on a sofa. The boy waved and Collin smiled, working his way through the dance crowd and sat down next to his brother. “Hey, sorry, I saw some people I knew.”

“That’s okay,” Luke said. “I’ve been people watching.”

“Learn anything?”

“Yeah,” he said and blushed hotly, “I know I can’t dance like that.”

He laughed. “I don’t know if I would call what they’re doing dancing.”

“Where’s Fox?”

“I was just going to ask you that.” Collin thought about texting him, but knew Fox wouldn’t hear his phone go off. He stood and Luke hopped up beside him. “Let’s go find him.”

They made their way around the house. Collin didn’t want Luke to spend the entire time just looking for their alpha, so he made sure to stop and introduce Luke to anyone he knew. A couple of the younger she-wolves even asked Luke to dance, but he’d only blushed and declined shyly.

“See, this isn’t so bad,” Collin said with a grin.

“Everyone is pretty friendly,” Luke said. “After Dave I was…scared that most wolves were like him.”

“You’ll learn to read people,” Collin said, “When you meet another werewolf, you get a feel for them. What you smell, what you see, and this kind of…sixth sense. You’ll see that most wolves are like us. Yeah, there are assholes and predators but.” He shrugged.

Luke shifted, tugging at the sleeves of his hoodie. “You can go have fun, you know.”

“Hm? What, and ditch you again?” Collin asked with a little smile.

“I was doing okay,” Luke said. “I can tell you want to dance with your friends.”

Collin reached back, scratching the back of his head. He pushed his long hair back and glanced around. Luke continued to stare at him with his lilac eyes before the younger boy shook his head and stepped back. 

“Go on,” he says, “seriously! If I have problems, I’ll text you.”

“I won’t be long,” Collin promised. 

Luke watched him disappear and he turned making his way around people. Balloons were scattered around, along with empty cups and glitter. He had some sticking to his face and annoyingly he tried to brush it off. He was just deciding to go outside, get some fresh air, when he heard a shout.

He turned around with a start. It was Grey again. If anything he looked more attractive than before, still sweaty and flushed, but now there was glitter and lip-gloss smeared on his pink lips. His eyes, blue and bright, practically glowed when he saw Luke.

“H-hey,” Luke said as he stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Are you leaving?”

“No,” he answered with a shrug, “Collin and Fox are off somewhere. I was just…I don’t know what I was doing. Wandering around?”

“Want to dance?”

Luke felt his neck start to get hot. “W-with you?”

“Sure, why not?” Grey tilted his head. “Unless you don’t want to. That’s cool.”

“I can’t dance.”

“No one here can dance,” Grey chuckled. “You sure?”

Luke felt warm and it was strange. He took a deep breath and nodded, forcing a smile. “M-maybe next time?”

Grey looked at him for a long moment before stepping back. “Okay. But the next time we’re at Moonbeam, you’re going to dance with me.”

Luke swallowed hard. “O-okay.” He watched Grey go and apart of him felt badly for turning down Grey’s offer. He knew why he said no, he couldn’t dance and he was terrified, but there was a part of him that was suddenly aching. He frowned, rubbing his knuckles over his sternum.

He turned, making his way around people, looking for the best way outside, when a hand caught his wrist. He turned around in surprise, but it wasn’t one of his packmates. It was a tall young man, with eyes that were glassy and dark blue in color. 

“You’re going to dance with me,” the man said.

Luke frowned. This guy had the same kind of feel as Fox, and Luke wondered if he was an alpha wolf. Luke knew they had a way to make lesser wolves obey them. However, Luke felt no desire to obey this man. He scowled. “Um, no.”

“You don’t get to say no, pup,” the man said and pulled, jerking Luke forward. 

He stumbled and when he righted himself, lurched back. The man growled and shoved Luke back against the wall. He didn’t have time to wonder what made him such a target for creeps when the man grabbed a handful of his blond hair and tugged him onto his toes. Before Luke could blink, the man was kissing him.

It was _horrible_. The man’s tongue licked against his closed lips and Luke whined, closing his eyes tight while his nose wrinkled. There was a sharp nip against his lips and Luke growled in his chest, shoving his hands against the man’s chest.

It wasn’t enough to stop the man from biting him again and shoving his tongue into his mouth. Luke was shocked at the taste of alcohol and an unwanted tongue and bit down.

The man yowled and pulled back, blood dripping from his lip. “You little fuck!”

Panic swelled in Luke’s chest. The people around them were starting to look at them, dozens of eyes locking onto the duo. Would they help? Or would they stand by while this alpha continued to assault him? Luke didn’t want to find out. He took a deep breath and yelled, “FOX!”

The man was staring at him in confusion when from somewhere in the crowd, Fox came running. He paused long enough to look at the blood on Luke’s lip and disheveled appearance to the alpha towering over him. Then he was lunging, slamming the alpha to the ground. Luke jumped and suddenly Collin was in front of him, shielding him.

Luke looked around Collin as Fox dragged the man to his feet before hitting him again. And again. Luke gasped, grabbing the back of Collin’s shirt. “Collin!”

Collin pursed his lips and then jumped in when he saw his chance. He grabbed Fox’s forearm, nearly getting thrown over his shoulder in the process. He planted his feet and pulled back, jerking Fox away from the other alpha.

“Fox, stop! That’s enough,” he shouted.

Fox whirled on him, green eyes furious and wolfish. The whites had bled black and his teeth were sharp. He snarled and Collin flinched before shoving him into the wall. The other alpha sat up; blood streaming from his nose and broken lip, before stumbling to his feet. He ran without looking back.

“Show’s over!” someone shouted.

Luke looked up as the people who had been watching went back to dancing. He stepped up to Collin and reached to touch his shoulder. “Collin?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Collin said as he met Fox’s eyes. The alpha was agitated and a little drunk. They had been dancing together when Luke’s yell had burst through the crowd. It’s not like fights didn’t happen at parties like this, they happened all the time, alphas got drunk and they had to challenge whoever they could find just to prove they were bigger and stronger. Usually it was over a guy or a girl, whoever they wanted to fuck.

His brown eyes flickered to Luke, standing at his shoulder. The boy’s lilac eyes met his. “You have the worst fucking luck,” he said

Luke snorted, rolling his eyes. “You’re telling me.”

“Collin—“ Fox shook his head, his eyes returning to normal. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“I wanted the fight to stop,” he said stubbornly. “Don’t get mad at me.”

“I was handling it,” Fox barked, staring at his mate. “It was between alphas.”

Now it was Collin’s turn to roll his eyes. “Luke and I are leaving. If you want to stay here and piss to mark your turf, go ahead.”

Luke’s eyes widened before he ran after his brother. They walked through the house and outside where the air was blissfully clear and the night was bright with stars. “Are you guys fighting?” Luke asked as he walked fast to keep up with his brother’s long strides.

“He’s drunk and he’s stupid,” Collin grunted as he walked toward their car. He stopped when they reached it, turning to Luke. “Are you okay?”

Luke licked his lips and shrugged. “He…he _kissed_ me.”

Collin’s eyes widened. “He kissed you?”

“With tongue,” Luke said, feeling queasy. “It was so gross!”

Now he regretted stopping the fight. He thought the other guy had just bullied Luke around. He had no idea that asshole had molested his little brother. The hair stood on the back of his neck and he growled in his chest. “I should have let Fox beat on him some more.”

“I think he learned his lesson,” Luke said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Was that your first kiss?”

“Who else would I be kissing?” Luke snapped.

“Sorry,” Collin said. He rubbed the back of his head.

“I thought we were leaving?”

“No, here he comes,” Collin said. Fox was striding toward them; his steps a little off as he had drank quite a bit. He waited, tense, as Fox walked up to him and glared at him, his green eyes glassy. Collin exhaled and turned. “Let’s leave.”

Luke stepped back until Fox opened the door for the backseat, collapsing inside. He dropped into the passenger seat and clipped on his seatbelt. He looked at his brother. “You weren’t drinking, were you?”

“Not a drop,” Collin said. He glanced at Fox, who was ignoring him, and drove them home.


	2. Pizza Therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY for taking so long. I've been so stuck. I only have a couple paragraphs of the next chapter done, but I am working on it. I hope it won't be so long between chapters again (but I can't promise anything.) Enjoy xoxo

Luke sat at the kitchen table listening to the radio and stirring his already soggy cereal. The morning was unusually quiet. Mornings at the pack house were usually loud, with everyone talking and making a big breakfast and getting ready to leave for the day. But the three didn’t have work that morning, Grey wasn’t home yet, and as far as Luke knew, Collin and Fox had parted ways last night angry and probably were still.

The front door snapped shut and Luke looked up as the dogs, which had been lying at his feet, went to greet Grey with wagging tails and happy smiles. The older boy was wearing the same clothes as the previous night, though in a less glamorous fashion; it was quite obvious that he’d thrown them on just for the drive home. After shooing the dogs away, he greeted Luke with a tired, lazy smile and went to get the orange juice from the refrigerator.

“No hot breakfast this morning?” he whined with obvious disappointment. “Did Fox have a bit too much fun last night and is still in bed?”

Luke tensed. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he did feel partially to blame that Fox and Collin had been fighting. Had he known alphas were so unreasonable, especially when drunk, he would have… _Done what? Ran away?_ “I guess so.”

His tone caught Grey’s attention, and the boy looked at him curiously. His eyes seemed every where at once, immediately seeing the fading bruises on Luke’s slender wrist. The sudden sharp sound of shattering glass made Luke jump out of his chair. 

Grey was trembling all over; his blue eyes were focused on the bruises on Luke’s wrist. He didn’t seem to notice that he’d broken the glass he’d been holding, or that glass was sticking out of his skin. Luke heard a low growl starting in the other wolf’s chest, and caught the sound of popping bones—

“Woah, Grey!” he shouted, backing up in fear, thinking he’d done something to set the omega wolf off. It frightened him to see Grey’s eyes so wild and angry; it too out of character for the usual happy boy, and Luke found himself scrambling to get away. “Calm down!”

Several tense seconds later and Grey did calm down. Luke’s fear in the air snapped him back to reality and he blinked, eyes clearing up and body relaxing. Any bones that had begun to Change returned to human form, and he felt his fangs turn back into human teeth.

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice a bit rough. He shook the glass from his hand and went to Luke slowly, understanding he’d scared the young wolf. “You’re just…did someone grab you last night? Or hurt you?” He frowned. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

His change of tone, from anger to regret, made Luke frown and shake his head. “It’s not your fault. Some asshole was bugging me.” When he thought about it, all he could feel was that disgusting tasting tongue in his mouth. Certainly not all kisses tasted that way? He’d seen Collin kissing Fox, quite ravenously, and knew it couldn’t be that horrible.

Fingers snapped in front of his face, and he blinked, focusing on Grey.

“Huh?”

“I asked, why did someone grab you like that?” he asked, now pointing at Luke’s wrist.

“Oh um, he wanted to dance and I didn’t want to,” Luke sad as he felt his face start to heat up. He didn’t want to tell the other details. They were too embarrassing. “Some stupid alpha, I think. So Fox got involved.” 

Grey pinched the bridge of his nose. “When did this happen?”

“Um,” Luke tilted his head, “I dunno. After we talked?”

“Well, at least nothing else bad happened,” he said with a little smile, which faltered when he saw something flicker in Luke’s eyes. He wanted to ask, but the boy turned at the sound of voices coming down the stairs.

“Well look who came home,” Fox said as he passed through the kitchen.

Grey looked away from Luke. “Don’t sound so disappointed.”

Fox laughed as he started the coffee maker. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Collin looked to Luke, who shrugged and passed by him, heading up the stairs. Collin knew Luke was sensitive, even more so now, and he wanted to comfort him, but this was something he was going to have to deal with himself. So he walked to the front door and stood in the morning sunshine.

“You look beautiful there, in the sunlight,” Fox said. “Are we okay?”

Collin shrugged. “I don’t know, it was your massive alpha ego that was bruised.”

“I don’t have a massive ego!”

Grey sputtered, laughing so hard he snorted up some of the orange juice he’d been drinking. Fox glared at the two of them before turning and filling his coffee cup. Collin smiled and walked around him to pour himself a cup.

“So, what happened to Luke last night?” Grey asked. “He seemed a little upset.”

“Some alpha got handsy,” Collin said as he pulled a bottle of coffee creamer from the refrigerator and started to stir it into his coffee. “He’s such a target for creeps that I want to keep him locked in the house.”

Grey pursed his lips and sat down at the kitchen table. He was a bit hungover, and he was a little achy and was really fucking tired. There were scratch marks under his clothing across his back and shoulders, and bites on his thighs and chest that were bruised. It was a good ache though, because it had been a spectacular night, but now he just felt bad for leaving Luke.

Which, he knew he shouldn’t. Luke would have to learn to handle himself. He wasn’t Grey’s to protect all the time.

…

Later that afternoon Luke rushed down the stairs to find his brother. He looked rather pleased with himself. He found Collin sitting on the living room floor at the coffee table. Drawing books and pencils were strewn everywhere, and Collin looked quite irritated.

“Guess what!” Luke exclaimed as he hopped on his toes. It was a hot day, the windows were open and fans were buzzing. The house had a central air conditioning unit but they hadn’t turned it on yet.

“What?”

“I got the job!”

Collin blinked slowly before smiling. “At the grocery store? That’s great.”

Luke had been pretty against the idea of getting a job, but now that he was living with the pack over the summer, and Dan and Mary were always crazy-strict when it came to money, he realized it might be nice to earn some on his own. During the summer grocery stores were always looking for part-time high school kids to work, and Luke had been to the store enough times that he thought he could handle sacking groceries and putting items on shelves. How hard could it be?

“Yeah! It’s three-days a week, mostly evening hours. I think the latest I’ll be working is ten, but that’s okay, right?” he asked his brother. “Cause I can’t drive or anything.”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Collin chuckled. “When do you start?”

“They want me to start training tomorrow,” he said. “I need um, nice black pants, a white button up shirt, and a black tie and decent shoes. Mary said if we stop by her work she’ll give me some cash. She seemed….I dunno, proud of me?”

“Of course she’s proud,” Collin said with a laugh. “Look at you being a responsible teenager and going out into the big world to get a job. Unlike your delinquent, loser brother who just lounges around the house all day.”

“You don’t lounge, you do house-stuff.”

“Yeah, I’m the pack’s nanny,” he said with an eye roll. Truthfully though, he had been working on his art. He was just having problems finding inspiration. It seemed typical of him that the moment he had _time_ to be creative, that all creativity would leave him.

“Are you busy now?” Luke asked eagerly. “Can we go into the city?”

“Sure, sure,” Collin said as he stood. He looked down at the scattered pencils and empty sheets of paper and crumpled attempts at something artistic. “Nothing is happening here anytime soon.”

They left in Collin’s old red sporty Chevy. Trinkets and a dreamcatcher and a R2-D2 air freshener hung from the rear-view mirror and too many stickers were on the back bumper and back window. He turned the air-conditioning on to combat the heat that was starting to set in.

First they drove to Mary’s workplace, Schwartz Financial Firm. They took the elevator to the fortieth floor and found Mary working at her desk. When she saw the brothers she smiled.

“This is weird, she seems happy,” Luke whispered to Collin as they walked.

“Shh,” Collin hissed. But she did look…happy. She was wearing a brown pantsuit and her hair was done. She stepped around her desk to greet them.

_We haven’t even been out for more than two weeks,_ Collin thought to himself. “Hi, Mary.”

“Boys,” she said. “Luke, I know I said it over the phone, but I’m so proud that you found a job for the summer. I have some cash here for you, so you can buy some nice clothing.”

Collin stared at her suspiciously. She had never been this way at home. Was something different? She looked nice today, her makeup done and her hair curled. Was she having an affair? Maybe she kicked Dan out. He had a lot of questions, but not one of them was appropriate and he wasn’t going to say any of them out loud.

Luke smiled and scrubbed his hand through his hair. It was getting shaggy and he was in need of a haircut. “Oh, it’s not a big deal. I mean, it’s really nothing.”

Mary shook her head. “Well, I disagree.” She handed him an envelope before smoothing out her skirt. “I have to get back to work. But keep me updated, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Luke said as he glanced at Collin. 

When they were in the elevator Luke exhaled. “Was that weird?”

“Just a little,” Collin said. “I wonder if she’s having an affair.”

“I wouldn’t blame her,” Luke said. “H-holy crap, she gave me a lot of money.”

Collin peered over his brother’s shoulder. “You’re buying me ice cream later.”

Luke laughed. They crossed the lobby and stepped outside into the bright sunlight and hot air. Collin had pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head when they were indoors, but now he slid them back onto his nose. Luke squinted.

“I need a pair of sunglasses,” he said.

“And a haircut,” Collin said as he reached over to ruffle his hair. “You’re looking more like a shaggy dog than a werewolf.”

Luke wanted to argue, but he could only shrug. “I probably should…do you know anywhere? I don’t want to go to the place Mary always made to go.”

“Yeah, I know a place.” Collin pulled his phone from his pocket as they reached the car. He started the engine, letting the AC cool the interior as he called the hair salon he used. They had an opening in two hours and Collin booked it.

“What are we going to do for two hours?” Luke asked as they drove through the city.

“Shop, duh.”

They went to one of Pineview’s shopping malls, Elm Wood Hills Mall, and drove through the sea of colorful cars until they found a parking spot. 

“Okay, so you needed black dress pants and button-up white shirts?”

“And a black tie,” Luke said. “Hey! Do you think it has to be like, all black? Can I get one that has Batman on it?”

Collin laughed. “Maybe we’ll work our way to Batman.”

“Fine, fine,” he said. “What about my shoes?”

Collin looked at Luke’s black sneakers. “The ones you have on should be fine. You’re going to be on your feet all day, so you’re going to want something that won’t make your feet hurt.”

Luke nodded by was suddenly distracted by a hot pretzel vender. He veered for it and Collin had to turn on his heel to follow him, laughing to himself. He bought one for each of them and they munched on them as they made their way through the crowded mall.

“Okay, let’s shop here,” Collin said as he led Luke into a large discount clothing store. “They have nice clothes, and they’re cheap. You’re going to be bagging groceries and stocking shelves, so you don’t need an eighty-dollar pair of pants.”

Luke nodded in agreement as they crossed to the men’s clothing. He followed Collin to the discount racks and started sifting through racks and racks of marked down pants.

“Hey if…if I like, see something I want, can I get it?”

“Mary gave you money, Luke,” Collin reminded him, “find clothes for work and spend the rest on whatever you want.”

They nearly two hours in the store. Once Luke found a couple pairs of black pants and white shirts and a tie, he went about shopping for whatever he could find cheap in the clearance racks. He found jeans, t-shirts, pajama pants, socks, and underwear.

Collin stood by holding Luke’s clothing and adding up the prices in his head. He’d never been shopping with Luke before, but he had a feeling he wasn’t always this happy. He imagined that normally Mary would be pushing him to pick out clothing that simple and proper and plain.

“Do you think this is too bold?” Luke asked as he picked up a t-shirt that was black with a sequin gold skull on the front.

“Fuck no,” Collin said with a laugh. “And if you don’t buy it, I will.”

Luke laughed. “There’s one here with a rose on it.”

“Grab it for me.” He turned in a circle, looking for a clock, before he struggled with the armful of clothing to grab his phone. “Hey, we gotta pay and get to Ruby’s.”

“Ruby’s?”

“To get your hair cut,” Collin reminded him. “We can come back later if you want though.”

“I think I spent more than what I have so um, probably not…”

“I’ll help you pay,” Collin said when he saw Luke eyeing the clothing. He stepped out of his reach. “You aren’t putting anything back. So let’s go!”

As they walked to the registers Luke spotted a rack of sunglasses. He stopped to browse, letting Collin go ahead and start checking out. He tried on a couple pairs before deciding on a pair that had a heavy black frame and purple tinted lenses.

“Oh, I like those,” Collin said. “I’ll be borrowing those.”

“You have like, dozens of pairs,” Luke said as he pulled the envelope of money from his pocket. He ended up using all of it and felt bad. He was supposed to buy Collin ice cream. He glanced at his brother, who was picking up the bags of clothes.

“What about my haircut?” Luke asked as he took the bags from his brother. 

They were walking briskly through the mall. “What about it?”

“I used all my money,” he said. “I mean—I have about ten bucks of my own money, and I promise to buy you ice cream, but that won’t pay for a haircut. I can wait—“

“Stop worrying so much little brother,” Collin said with a grin, “I’ll pay.”

“Y-you really don’t have to.”

“Well, you’re kind of broke, so I do,” Collin taunted. Then he bumped shoulders with Luke. “Don’t worry so much. If I didn’t want to pay for it, I wouldn’t have offered or made you the appointment.”

When they found Collin’s car in the automobile sea Luke set his shopping bags in the backseat before getting into the passenger seat and fiddling with his new sunglasses. Collin had a pocketknife in the glove compartment and he used it to cut the plastic tag off.

“How do they look?” he asked as he slipped the sunglasses on.

Collin nodded. “Fantastic. Purple is a good color on you.”

Luke snorted and sat back. It was a short drive to Ruby’s Salon. It was nestled between a jewelry store and a sporting goods store, and inside it was very shabby chic. The walls were mostly dark coal and black, while the furniture and décor were bright in color.

“Collin!” shouted a woman from the back. She sprinted up to hug him. 

“Hey, Ruby,” Collin said as they parted. “Thanks for working us in.”

“Anything for you,” she said. She looked at Luke and smiled brightly. Her hair was long tumbled down her back in heavy waves. It was black with highlights of pink and blue woven in and out. She her lips were bright pink and she had a lip piercing. “You must be Luke.”

“Um, yeah,” he said shyly before shaking her hand. She didn’t let him go though and lead him down to a chair in front of a large mirror. She waited until he was sat down and put a black cape on him. 

“So!” Ruby said cheerfully. “What kind of cut do you want, sweetie?”

Panic flashed across Luke’s face and he looked for Collin, who had sat down in an empty chair next to him. “I-I don’t know?”

Ruby tapped her finger to her lip as she stared down at him. Then she was running her hands through his thick blond hair. “You have gorgeous hair. We could do something fun?”

“Fun? No—no um,” Luke stammered nervously. He twisted his hands together.

Collin smiled. “How about an undercut, Ruby. Cut it shorter in the back and longer in the front?”

“Oh,” she said. “I like that. Then you can gel it up if you want. That’s always a very sexy look, sweetie.” She pointed to photos that were hung along the wall, male celebrities with hair that was buzzed in the back and on the sides. It was a nice look, Luke had to agree, but would it look good on him?

But he trusted Collin not to make him look like an idiot, so he shrugged and agreed. He sat in silence as Ruby cut and styled his hair. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and not having a panic attack when she swept the cape off him and shouted, “Done!”

Luke jumped and opened his eyes. He blinked and his mouth opened in surprise.

“What do you think, sweetie?”

Luke turned his head left and right and then bit his lip. “Wow. It—it’s great!”

“Aw, glad you like it,” Ruby said as she patted his shoulder.

She went to ring up their bill and Collin stood, smiling at Luke, who was still looking at himself in the mirror.

“I’ll show you how to style it,” Collin said as Luke smiled brightly.

“Kind of looks like I just…run my hands through it and it’ll stick up and then make it um, look wavy,” he said.

Collin couldn’t stop from laughing loudly. “I guess that is the gist of it. Come on, I need to pick out some shampoo while we’re here.”

Luke browsed the different kinds of shampoo, conditioners and bottles that were styling or taming hair. He smelled a couple different ones until one that smelled sweet, like coconuts, caught his attention.

“Give it,” Collin said, holding out his hand. “I’ll buy it for you.”

“Thanks,” Luke said bashfully. Ruby bagged their items and handed Luke the bag while Collin paid. Then they headed back outside, and Luke put on his sunglasses.

“Do I look cool?” he asked with a silly grin and pose.

Collin smiled. “The coolest cat there ever was.”

“Oh, shut up.” Luke hopped to the car and once they were driving, said, “Okay! Ice cream! I have like, ten bucks—“ he pulled out his wallet and counted his bills and change. “Yes, ten dollars and forty-seven cents.”

So Collin drove them to the nearest Dairy Queen and pulled up to the menu board in the drive-thru. “Hey look, new summer flavors.”

“A s’more blizzard!” Luke shrieked happily. “I want that one.”

Collin ordered a medium s’mores blizzard for Luke, and a medium strawberry malt for himself. After a second thought he ordered French fries for them to share.

Then it was long, quiet drive home as they ate their food and sang along with the radio. Luke was feeling absolutely jubilant. He was relaxed and felt like he was on top of the world. For once the worrying thoughts of hunters and monsters weren’t lingering in his mind, they were replaced by sunshine and happiness and his brother’s singing voice.

“This was really fun,” Luke said when they reached the Howl house.

“Once you start making money, we can go shopping more often,” Collin said.

“I can’t wait—“ Luke said. “When do I get my first paycheck?”

…

The next day Collin dropped Luke off at Boulder Foods, wishing him luck. Luke was really nervous but he told himself over and over that he could do this. He’d been through worse. As long as he didn’t get hit in the face or accosted by a pervert, he’d consider it a successful day.

He was scheduled eleven in the morning to four in the afternoon. Collin told him that someone would be here at four to pick him up. Then he was wishing him luck and dropped him off at the front entrance of the grocery store. Luke waved, watching him go, before walking through the automatic doors.

Luke found his manager who paired him up with another teenager to train him. It was stressful, but Luke caught on fast. He learned the proper way to sack groceries, how to greet the customers and help them find things they needed, he followed people out to their cars and loaded their bags into their cars for them. Then there were things like cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping the isles, taking out the garbage and facing the shelves. All of it as very mundane and boring, perfect for what he needed. And he was so distracted by everything around him, from all the different food labels to the humans he had to associate with, that he didn’t have time to think twice about anything that was bothering him.

…

It was three-forty-five when Grey pulled into the Boulder’s parking lot. He had volunteered to pick Luke up from work, wanting a good excuse to take his car out for a drive. Yes, he finally bought a car. Truthfully he had had his eye on this one for a while and had been saving up his money to buy it. It hadn’t cost a lot, because it wasn’t that great. It was a little black Chevy Grand Prix that had been wrecked and while it had been fixed up, was still a little dented in the back. And it had lots of miles, and the AC didn’t work and the seats weren’t automatic.

But fuck those things. They were just little details. All that mattered was it was _his car._

Grey parked and crossed the parking lot to find Luke. It was another hot day and he had worked in the city with Fox and Raven until noon roofing houses. He felt a sunburn across his shoulders and on the back of his neck, but the tan he was getting was worth it. But maybe tomorrow he would put on some suntan lotion.

_Could werewolves get skin cancer?_ He frowned, pondering the idea, as he walked through the grocery store. He had never been to this particular store before. With Fox’s parents supplying the money for food they usually shopped at one of the pricier stores that had a larger selection of meat and fresh fruits and vegetables. Werewolf appetites were veracious, and though Grey ate a lot of sugary, processed food, the animal inside him was always hungry for healthier things.

He strolled through the aisles, taking his time in following his nose to Luke. He had started using a new coconut-scented shampoo and it lingered lightly in the air, mixed with Luke’s own soft werewolf scent. The combination was pleasant, and Grey felt a warm blush up the back of his neck.

He smiled triumphantly when he found Luke in the soup aisle with another teenager. Luke was wearing black pants and a white button-up shirt with a black tie and a black apron tied around his waist. His blond hair was ruffled and he’d pushed his sleeves up. The tie of the apron around his slim waist immediately caught Grey’s attention and he found himself inadvertently looking at the boy’s ass as he stood on his toes to reach the top shelf. 

Grey frowned, wondering just when he had started to notice Luke in _that_ manner. He felt embarrassed and turned his attention to the rows of canned goods in front of him and shoved his hands in his pockets. Then he noticed that Luke had spotted him and was walking quickly toward him with a bright smile on his face.

“Hi, Grey!” he said with a bit of a hop in his step. “Is it time already?”

Grey smiled. “Believe it or not. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, let me go check with the supervisor and I’ll clock out,” he said as he walked past him and to a tall, older woman with black hair. She smiled at him and talked with him for a moment, before Luke nodded to Grey over his shoulder. 

“I’ll meet you outside,” Grey said as he turned, carefully avoiding people near the check-out line and heading out to his vehicle. It was too hot to inside it, so he leaned against the door with his sunglasses on his nose and phone in his hand. His thumb swept across the screen as he distracted his thoughts with a game.

Luke came out, free of the apron which Grey was happy for, and wearing a big smile. It was good to see Luke so happy, and Grey grinned back at him and got into his car. Luke was clipping on his seatbelt when he turned to Grey and said, “Can we stop somewhere and get something to eat? I mean, if the guys aren’t planning a big supper?”

Grey shrugged. The pack almost always planned a big supper, unless Fox and Collin were going out on a date, then he and Raven usually fended for themselves. “I honestly don’t know. Did they not let you have a lunch break?”

“I got a fifteen minute break and had one of those crappy cheese-meat-and-cracker meals,” he said as he made a face. “It wasn’t very good and sure not filling.”

“Yeah, a werewolf needs to eat a bit more than that,” Grey said as they sped from the parking lot and onto the main road. Just thinking about food made his stomach rumble, even though he had just at lunch a couple hours ago. “How about pizza?”

The windows were down and the wind was combing through Luke’s short hair. He had his arm hanging out the window and he was sitting back, stretching his legs. It had been a lot of work, surprisingly. He hadn’t stopped moving once, not really. Even when sacking people’s groceries he was always moving. 

“That sounds perfect.”

Grey drove them to a pizza restaurant that had an all-day buffet and free, all-you-can-eat breadsticks. It was a nice place, brightly colored with huge photos of New York City hanging on the walls. Grey offered to buy, paying for two adult buffets at the register, and then led Luke to the three long buffet tables. One was all pizza, one was a salad bar, and the third was assorted pastas, desserts and appetizers.

Luke filled his plate with pizza and chicken wings and went back to the salad bar before he finally settled at the table. He’d wanted just water to drink while Grey had a tall glass bottle of root beer.

It wasn’t long before they were talking about video games and upcoming movies they were looking forward to. Grey listened to all Luke had to say, realizing he hadn’t seen the boy his happy and talkative in far too long. Luke still wasn’t over his traumatizing experience with the hunters, and then there was the incident at the pack party. 

“How are the other kids you’re working with?” Grey asked. “Do any of them go to our school?”

Luke shook his head. “None that I know of, but I did meet a girl.”

“Oh?” Grey said with a mischievous grin. “Do tell.”

Luke gave a slightly embarrassed chuckled. “Her name is Holly. She’s really nice. Brown eyes, curly blonde hair and…well, she said I looked cute.”

“Nice,” Grey said. “Are you going to ask her out?”

Now Luke shrugged and nervous butterflies started to dance in his full stomach. “I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s my type.”

“Do you have a type?” Grey asked, laughing as he finished his soda.

Luke turned a little red as he thought about it. “I guess I don’t know.”

“Come on, everyone has a type, or at least, certain features that you enjoy looking at,” he grinned wickedly at Luke’s blush. “The question is, are you a leg man? Do you like little or big breasts? Or how about that nice area where the thigh and the ass—“

Luke choked on his water and coughed in his hand. “Grey!”

“I for one,” Grey continued as if Luke hadn’t stopped him, “am one for blondes. With a light tan, I don’t like any of that fake-bake you know? Red-heads are nice too, especially if they have freckles. Or dark skin with heavy curly hair. I guess—I like everyone and everything.”

Luke was laughing now and shook his head, sitting back in the booth as he stacked his empty plates and pushed them aside. “How come you’re single?” he asked.

Grey thought on his answer for a moment and leaned his elbows on the table. “Dating can be complicated for werewolves,” he said. “You can date humans, but it’s difficult. If you have sex you have to use a condom or you might pass on the wolf-curse. You have to be careful with your strength. Humans break easy. And even a bite from human teeth can curse them, too.”

Luke made a mental note, realizing that he would have to keep this all in mind. But then, if he dated Holly, it didn’t mean they were going to go and have sex. _And why would I bite her?_ Even the thought of sex made Luke blush. “So, have you dated any werewolf girls?”

Now Grey grinned, showing his teeth. “A few. They’re damn feisty, I’ll tell you that much. Some of them are pretty wicked too, and damn, they like to bite and try to take control in bed. If you’re going to tumble with a werewolf chick, you better make sure you can handle it or she’ll eat you alive.”

Luke’s lilac eyes were big for a moment, and he blushed. “Really?” It occurred to him that Grey wasn’t that much older than himself, not even two years older, and yet he had done all this with people? _Does that make him a slut? Or just really friendly?_

“Not that all werewolf girls are like that. It just happens that that’s how I like them. There are plenty of sweet girls that you could, you know, look into meeting. I’m sure I could even introduce you. But when that day comes, we’ll need to talk more about werewolf rules.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Well, like packs. Obviously if you try to go after the alpha’s daughter you’re probably going to get your ass handed to you,” he said in a way that hinted that he’d probably done this before. “But, don’t let any of that worry you. You aren’t a horn dog like me.”

Luke fiddled with his napkin, tearing off little bits. “What about…guys?” He knew Grey was into girls and guys, he wasn’t exactly shy about it, and Luke had seen Grey making out quite heavily with Verum at the pack party. Thinking about it made his palms sweat.

Grey tilted his head. “Are you asking if I like guys, or…if you like guys?”

Luke’s eyes were like saucers and he leaned back. He knew he was blushing, he could feel the heat in his cheeks and up his neck. He hadn’t meant the questions like that, but now that Grey had said, he was wondering. He’d never really looked at anyone; he’d never dated anyone, hell he hadn’t even looked up porn on the internet.

“Y-you,” he stuttered. “Shit, that’s really rude of me to ask. N-never mind.”

Grey smiled warmly. “It’s cool. Yeah, I like guys, you know that.” He tilted his head. Luke was as red as a cherry tomato and Grey wondered… “Um, so, you ready to leave?”

Luke nodded frantically. “Yup, I’m ready.”


	3. Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of rushed, but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all the kudos, I appreciate every single one! xoxo

Luke’s eyes snapped open. He lay in the dark of his bedroom. For a second he forgot where he was, eyes darting around in the dark, before he remembered he was in the pack house. He rolled over, stretching beneath the sheets that were wrapped around him. He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand to check the time. 

It was just a little past six-in-the-morning. He had only been in bed for the last four hours. He was sitting up, wondering what had woken him, when he heard a low moan from the next room.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Luke said as he covered his ears. The second day of the full moon cycle had been that previous night and Luke had turned in early; he was tired after a long day at work. He thought for sure that the others would come in and would have gone straight to sleep like they usually did, but it sounded like someone had energy to burn.

Luke had just laid back down when he heard another sound and covered his ears. He did not want to listen to his brother have sex. He thought about putting on headphones, but now that he was awake, he was realizing how hot and stuffy it was in his room. The upstairs bedrooms didn’t have air conditioning, and all Luke had was a tall standing fan. It worked very well at circulating already hot air like a furnace.

However the downstairs level of the house had air conditioning and it would certainly still be running. Deciding he’d rather sleep on the couch than stay up here where it was hot and the neighbors were loud, he stood up from the bed. He had gone to bed wearing an old Batman t-shirt and his boxers and decided that was good enough to wear around the house. He walked hurriedly down the hallway to the stairs, and he only stopped just in time to keep from running into the door at the bottom of the steps.

Normally there was no door here, but during the summer it was put on to keep the cold air downstairs and the hot air up. Luke sighed and twisted the door handle and slipped down into the cold air where it was also blissfully silent.

Feeling more awake then sleepy now, Luke turned and walked through the kitchen. Earlier Grey and Collin had made fresh strawberry, pineapple, blueberry and raspberry popsicles. One sounded really good right now. He was just opening the freezer door when the front door opened and closed with a sharp snap. Luke jumped back, stubbing his toe as he turned, and yelped.

The shadowy figure laughed before stepping away from the door. “Sorry Luke,” Grey said in a hushed voice, “I’m just getting back.”

Luke leaned back against the kitchen counter. “You scared me,” he hissed.

Grey smiled in the darkness. He walked by Luke and opened the door to the freezer and grabbed two of the homemade popsicles. He handed one to Luke and motioned for boy to follow him. They stepped around the dogs, which were asleep on the floor in the living room, and walked into Grey’s bedroom.

It was even cooler in here and a fan hummed loudly in the corner, causing Luke to shiver. Grey walked by him and collapsed on his back in the bed. He was wearing only his boxer-briefs, which was what he had gone out in that night for the moon. He nibbled on the pineapple-flavored Popsicle and looked at Luke, who was leaning back against the dresser.

“You came in hours ago,” Grey said, “don’t tell me you’ve been awake this whole time.”

Luke felt his neck blush. “Oh no, I was asleep.”

“Just wake up hot or something?”

“I wish,” Luke huffed. He ran his free hand through his hair. “Collin and Fox were…getting busy and it woke me up.”

Grey laughed, choking a little. “Oh shit, that’s so horrible.”

“You’re telling me,” Luke grumbled. He finished his Popsicle and shivered again. The frozen fruit had done its job in cooling him off, now he wanted pants and his hoodie. “I was going to come crash on the couch. It’s cooler down here anyway.”

Grey shrugged. “You can sleep in here if you want.”

Luke glanced at the large bed and dug his toes into the carpet. “No, that’s okay.”

Grey laughed and moved to the other side of the bed. He reached down to the floor and grabbed a pair of pajama pants. He jerked them on. “Come on, I don’t bite. If you try sleeping on the couch and you wake the dogs, they’ll just end up sleeping on you.”

The blond fidgeted and bit his lip nervously. It was nice and cold in here, and Grey had black-out curtains that would keep out the morning sun. He shrugged and stepped forward nervously before letting out a dramatic sigh. Grey laughed and stretched out on his back, watching as Luke slipped beneath the sheets.

“Deadpool sheets?” Luke asked as he curled up on his side and grabbed a pillow. 

“My idol,” Grey said with a chuckle. He yawned loudly and glanced at the boy, who had curled up with the sheets, wrapping himself up like a cocoon. He wanted to reach over and ruffle Luke’s hair, or even curl up with him like he sometimes did with Fox or Collin.

However, this wasn’t Fox or Collin, or even Raven. This was Luke, and Grey didn’t feel like pushing those boundaries with the shy boy. 

“Oh, just a warning, I snore. And drool. And sometimes I wet the bed.”

…

As it turned out Grey didn’t actually do any of those things. He was usually a restless sleeper though, tossing and turning all night, sometimes he woke stretched out across the bed or at the bottom of the bed. He loved to sleep, it was one of his favorite things to do, but getting and staying asleep could sometimes be a challenge. Sometimes he woke up feeling jittery, like he needed to run, or he simply woke and that was it, he was up and there was no going back to sleep. On those nights he would usually get out of bed and play either on the computer or go out into the living room to play video games with the television on mute. God help him if he woke Raven.

Today he woke to something much unexpected and he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. 

He opened his eyes. The room was still dark due to his black-out curtains, but he could still sense the sunlight outside the window. He was about to sit up and check the time when he felt movement and a warm weight against his side. 

Looking down Grey swallowed hard. Luke was curled against him, cheek resting on his chest and one leg thrown over Grey’s. Grey had wrapped his arm around Luke, keeping him pulled against him. _Well, isn’t this interesting._ He stared at the boy before he focused his attention on the ceiling again. He tried to ignore the soft body against his own, tried to ignore how Luke smelled like the coconut shampoo he used. He tried to ignore the boy’s haircut which made him look fucking adorable. Grey’s hand was resting on Luke’s back, where his t-shirt had ridden up during the night. His skin was soft and warm, and when he pressed with his fingers he could feel the knobs of his spine. He tried to ignore that, too.

Luke yawned suddenly, his breath warm against Grey’s skin. Grey swallowed hard, a sudden flutter of butterflies turned into a hurricane in his stomach. “Hey, Luke,” he said quietly, hoping to wake the boy without startling him too much. “Luke, wake up.”

He waited and watched as Luke fought against waking and squirmed, hiding his face against Grey’s chest. Then Luke seemed to realize that he wasn’t snuggling with a pillow, but a human and he woke with a start. When he saw he was nestled against Grey he lurched back and nearly threw himself off the bed.

Grey grabbed Luke’s arm to steady him and laughed. “Woah, Luke! Careful or you’ll end up eating the floor.”

Luke was blinking sleepily and looking around, confused. He settled back on his knees and rubbed his eyes. His golden hair was a mess and his clothing was rumbled, his shirt riding up to expose his soft stomach. “G-Grey oh man—I’m sorry!”

He shook his head and smiled. “It’s okay,” he said, “I promise. It’s not the first time I’ve woken up with someone spooning me.”

Luke’s face turned bright red and he swallowed hard. “What now?”

Grey flashed him a smile before standing and stretching his lean body. He picked up his phone to check the time. “Shit, it’s almost noon,” he said. He glanced over at Luke, who was suddenly silent. The boy was standing on the other side of the bed, arms around himself and staring down at his bare feet with a frown. “Hey?”

The blond looked up, his lilac eyes wide and cheeks rosy. “Huh?”

“I told you once before,” Grey reminded him with a gentle smile, “I’m totally snug-able.”

Luke tilted his head before he remembered where those words came from. He smiled and dropped his arms to his sides. “Right. Yeah. Okay.” Then his stomach was rumbling and he exhaled loudly. “I guess I’m just going to go and put on um, clothes.”

“Okay,” Grey said who was searching in his closet for a t-shirt. He watched Luke out of the corner of his eye as the boy fled the room and closed the door behind him.

Grey stepped back, running his hand through his wild hair. He glanced at the bed and swallowed hard. Luke’s soft scent was still on his skin, and when he inhaled he could almost taste it. Past the scent of coconuts was the gentle smell of werewolf. It made the hair on the back of Grey’s neck stand up and his heart beat a little quicker.

After pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts Grey left his bedroom. He stopped in the bathroom and then decided against going straight to the kitchen. He went to the next door and knocked softly.

“Hey, Raven?” he asked, pushing the door open slowly.

“What is it?”

He stepped in the bedroom. Honestly, Grey hadn’t been in here that much. Raven was a very private person, Grey thought of him as the most anti-social introvert he’d ever known in his life. The bedroom was clean and sparse, the walls a soft grey and the wood floors shined and there were hand-woven colorful rugs on either side of the bed. Raven was sitting at his desk, papers and letters spread out in front of him. Over the bed hung a large elk skull with feathers hanging from the antlers and one of Fox’s handmade dreamcatchers; Grey remembered the hunt for that elk well. He’d been kicked in the chest in his wolf fur and had a bruise on his sternum for days. 

“I think I smell dinner cooking,” he said, focusing his attention back to his packmate.

Raven turned and gave Grey a long, curious look. His black hair was braided and his skin was dark and tanned from all the time he’d been spending in the sun. He was wearing a gray muscle shirt and dark jean shorts. Raven had well defined shoulders and biceps, but where Grey was more bulky with his muscles, Raven always remained slender and lean.

“Is something wrong?” Raven asked.

Grey leaned back against the door, pursing his lips in a pout and running his hand through his still messy, monochrome hair. He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

“Then get out.”

“Hey,” Grey snapped with a heavy pout. “Okay, fine. I think I might…like someone.”

“Then go like them somewhere else.”

Grey crossed the bedroom, knowing damn well he was pushing Raven’s personal boundaries and he was probably about to get his ass kicked, but he didn’t care. “I can’t talk to anyone else about it. And it’s not like you’re busy.” When he saw that Raven was replying to letters he had to wonder who mailed anything anymore? Why not email or text? There were even a couple watercolor postcards that Grey recognized as Collin’s art.

Raven growled in his chest and turned over the paper he’d been writing on. “Just because my version of busy doesn’t meet your standards doesn’t mean that I’m not.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and sat back on the bed. A heavy quilt was folded on the top of the mattress and he picked it up. It was handmade and gorgeous, with deep colors and intricate designs. He smelled it and ran his fingers over the fabric.

Raven was glaring at him. “Why are you here, Grey?”

“I like someone and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Hell, it’s not me, is it?”

Grey snorted out a laugh. “You’d be so blessed.”

“I don’t think…” Raven shook his head. “I’m busy. So say what you need to.”

“You know what, never mind, you don’t care.”

“I really don’t.”

Grey stood up, dropping the quilt back onto the bed. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe you should care a little. I mean we’re packmates. Like brothers. We’re bros.”

“We are not bros,” Raven said as he rolled his eyes. 

“Bro.”

“No.”

“Fine.”

“Get out.”

…

The fur on the gray wolf’s back was standing on edge. The wolf picked his way through the underbrush, nose to the ground and ears trained forward, occasionally flicking to the side or back when a sound caught his attention, but he never stopped following the trail. The pack’s territory was far and wide into the Pineview Forest, encompassing the nearest camp grounds and the lakes. For years they had been the only ones to live in this area. There was too much human activity for more than one werewolf pack to live here without drawing attention, and there were no other houses around but those that belonged to local farmers who would never give up their homes or their land. 

The gray wolf growled, sound vibrating in his heavy chest as he followed a scent.

He needed to find his alpha and show him what he’d found. If he howled there was a chance that Fox might hear him, but would he come and find out what was going on? Fox and Collin had gotten into some stupid argument earlier and Grey couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. He hated it when those two fought.

Not to mention his problems, but right now, his feelings and inner turmoil had to wait. What he smelled in front of him was much more problematic.

He paced for a minute before huffing. Grey threw his head back and howled.

At the house Fox was using the garden hose to rinse the soap off his car. He and Collin had been bickering all morning and he just needed some fresh air. He loved Collin, more than anything, but he could be damn stubborn sometimes. (Collin would argue that Fox was the stubborn one, and then the pack would gently remind them that they were both too fucking stubborn for their own good.) No relationship was without its bumps though. Fox knew that they just needed a little space, a little time to breathe.

He was just getting started in wiping the car down when he heard a howl. Even without his wolf ears he knew it was Grey. He turned, tilting his head, listening as the howl was repeated. Grey wouldn’t be howling unless he needed something. 

Fox set down the towel and the bucket and dropped to his hands and knees. The Change hurt, his body tearing apart and then shaping back together. He shook out his brown fur and then started to run, his wolf legs propelling him across the yard and into the forest. The wind rushed through his fur and for a few minutes he almost forgot he was supposed to be finding Grey. The heavy, wild scent of the world around him filled his nose and his wolf eyes drank in the bright colors of the forest. He leaped over fallen branches and trees; ran through low-lying brush and heavy grasses and ferns. He dodged trees and large rocks and leaped over a creek filled with rushing water.

Another howl cut through the air, though it was much closer. Fox veered, following the sound and picking up on Grey’s scent. He rushed through the trees and trotted to a stop.

 _Hey, I’m here,_ Fox said when he spotted the gray wolf standing in a group of ferns.

Grey’s tail wagged before he tucked it, submitting to Fox as the brown alpha wolf trotted over to him. Then he straightened up and turned. _I found something you need to see—or rather smell._

Fox followed Grey through the trees and when he caught the scent of wolf urine he snarled, curling his lips back over his teeth. His tail lashed and he lowered his nose to the ground, following the scent. A wolf not of the pack had been here. Together he and Grey followed the scent trail six miles. He would stop at every marker the intruder had left, whether it was urine, or from digging his paws into the dirt and spreading his scent, and would cover it with his own.

Then the scent stopped at the highway. Carefully the two wolves walked out of the forest, up the incline, and onto the road. A logging truck sped by, horn blaring, but other than that there were no other vehicles. 

On the side of the road were black marks from a car speeding away. Fox flattened his ears. _He parked here, Changed for the moon, and then lapped the territory line._

 _He went into the campgrounds,_ Grey said with a low growl. The pack was always very careful to stay away from the campgrounds during the moon and in the fur. They would never hunt humans, but they didn’t want to be sighted. Knowing that a strange wolf had been on their grounds, and near innocent people, made Grey’s fur stand on end and his ears flatten.

Fox snorted, pacing the concrete until he could hear cars coming. He and Grey darted off the road and back into the trees. He continued to pace, nose to the ground.

 _Do you have any who it is?_ Grey asked as he sat back to scratch at an itch behind his ear with his back leg. 

_Not exactly,_ Fox said with a shake of his head. He lifted his leg to a tree, pissing on it to mark it. He had recognized the scent, from somewhere, but he couldn’t put a face with the smell. _But now that I’ve smelled him, I’ll be able to pick him out of a crowd easily._

 _What are you thinking of doing?_ The gray wolf asked as he sat back on his haunches.

 _I don’t know yet. We don’t know what he wanted. If he even wanted anything,_ Fox said as he pushed against the gray wolf’s shoulder and nipped at him. The wolf yipped and pushed back. They wrestled around until Fox had the omega pinned beneath him. He grinned triumphantly.

 _Asshole, let me up,_ Grey whined pathetically.

…

From the outside The Golden Tooth seemed like your typical motorcycle bar. It was a vintage brick building on the street corner. There wasn’t much for parking on the street, so most of the patrons chose to park in the back alley, which was almost always lined with motorcycles. The windows were tinted and there was no welcome sign glowing in the window or billboard outside advertising that day’s games or menu or drink specials. In fact there wasn’t even a front door. The entrance was hidden in the back, though now there was a little awning over the back door for shelter from the rain.

When Fox had first stepped into the bar he had been shocked by two things. First, that it was a werewolf bar. There were no humans here, not unless they were with a werewolf. The heavy scent of lycanthrope, beer and meat had been noticeable outside, but inside it had sucked the breath from Fox’s lungs and stunned him. The second thing he noticed was that it was not what he would expect from a bar that catered to werewolves.

The walls were mostly brick, and others were painted a deep reddish brown color. The flooring was black and white tile, very vintage and probably original. There were booths along one wall, cherry wood with thick black cushions with high backs to insure privacy. Sconces with dark glass and a bronze finish hung at every booth, casting them in low light. In the center of the room were tall tables and chairs, all the same cherry-red as the booths. It was the original woodwork from the days when the building was a speakeasy. The bar was in the front, and behind it shelves stocked with dozens of different liquors, wines, whiskey and vodka. The lighting was all dim and industrial, giving the place a very comfortably feel.

Of course, there was also some modern day updates. Flat-screen televisions were in different parts of the bar, usually turned to some sporting event, and there was a pool table in the back along with a jukebox and dart boards. Behind the bar was the kitchen where the food was made, ranging from classics like cheeseburgers and French fries to steak and potatoes and ribs.

Fox was at the bar now, perched on a backless barstool. He had decided against going home with the rest of the pack after work and came here for supper instead. He had been searching the woods in his spare time at home, along with Raven, to keep the territory lines marked and make sure no one else had been on their land. 

So far there hadn’t been any new occurrences.

The bar was busy with activity, lots of werewolves were doing the same thing he was, getting off work and stopping by for either a drink or a bite to eat or both. The special that night was a braised beef stew with carrots and potatoes, served with hard bread.

“Want another beer, Foxie?”

He looked up, meeting the hazel eyes of the she-wolf across the bar from him. The building was owned by a big werewolf named Black-paw, and his two daughters managed and ran the place. One of the reasons Fox loved this place was even though they knew he was underage, they still let him drink.

“No thanks,” he said. Black-paw was six-foot-five and three-hundred pounds of muscle. He had aged red skin and dark eyes and long black hair. He was a fierce, dangerous man, and though his looks didn’t give it away, he was also very old. His daughters had his same skin and black hair, and looked like twins even though they weren’t. Maria was the younger of the two, and tonight her hair was braided over her shoulder and decorated with feathers. She was dressed casual, in jeans and a lace white shirt and had lots of cuffs and leather on her wrists.

“Well, if your change your mind, just wave,” she said as she walked back to the book that she had been reading.

He turned his attention back to his food, eating peacefully and listening to the music that was playing over the speakers, when a scent caught his attention. How could he miss it, he’d been following it for days.

He glanced to his left as four guys, a few years older than himself, sat down at the bar. They were all rough looking, with scars from fights and the same tribal tattoo around their wrist. _Serene’s pack, that’s just great,_ Fox thought as he leaned back away from his food to watch the pack, who looked like they were already drunk. When they noticed him they all turned. 

“Where is Serene?” Fox asked no one in particular.

“Doesn’t matter to you,” one said while another answered, “Fucking up some bitch.”

“He just let you guys run off leash tonight?” Fox asked with a sneer.

One of the men, who was slightly shorter than the rest and had black hair, glared at him with eyes that bled black. Fox tilted his head and sniffed, zeroing in on his scent. This one had been the one who had gone into their territory; Fox remembered this guy’s name was Marcus. Fox felt his temper start to rise.

“We don’t need permission to do anything! We aren’t fucking leashed!”

Fox grinned, showing his sharp teeth. “I’d say I believed you, only I know that none of you would disobey Serene unless you wanted your throats ripped out. And I know what you’ve been up to, Marcus. Take this as a warning to never come near my home again or I will take your punk-ass down.”

Marcus momentarily showed his teeth, before dropping his eyes and looking away. Fox might not be his alpha, but he was the alpha of a pack, and more dominate than Marcus was. The other three glared angrily at Fox until they, too, severed eye contact.

“So,” Fox said after that had been established, “what the fuck were you doing in my territory?”

“Hunting squirrels,” Marcus said without looking up. 

“You’ll tell me the truth,” Fox growled as he stood. “What the fuck were you doing?”

Marcus looked up, meeting Fox’s eyes. He struggled to hold eye contact and growled in his chest. Marcus was older than Fox, but in his pack he was just a beta, and in Serene’s pack, betas were treated like omegas. They were all submissive, Serene made sure of that.

“Looking to fuck up your bitches,” he finally snapped. One of the others laughed and swayed dangerously on the bar stool.

Fox took a step forward and the four men stood. He couldn’t take them all in a fight, and he knew he should walk away and head home, but he was stubborn and pissed. However, when he stepped forward the four backed off. To his surprise they slinked away and out the back door.

“Cowards,” Maria said from where she leaned on the bar. 

“Yeah,” Fox said. “I think I’m done, can you ring me up?”

After paying for his food he left the bar through the same door. He stepped out and was fishing the keys to his car from his pocket when he realized he was being watched. He turned, looking into the darkness and frowned.

 _I knew they left too easy._ There were four pairs of glowing eyes watching him from the shadows. He knew he should just turn and walk away. He knew he should get in his car and drive home. He knew that Collin was right whenever he told him that he let his alpha status go to his head. He knew all these things, but he still turned and walked toward the eyes. 

They were lower to the ground, so the pack had already Changed.

 _Maybe they think they can take me in the fur,_ Fox thought with a smirk. Even though he’d had only one beer, he still felt a little fuzzy. And these four stunk of alcohol. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before he threw all his focus into the Change. It had to be fast, if he let his guard down they would be on him, and he’d be helpless.

He fell forward and the Change ripped through him, bright pain flashing behind his eyes and the sound of bones grinding through his skull, but he never lost his focus on the wolves in front of him. Fox finished the transformation as the first wolf reached him.

Fox dodged the silver wolf with a torn ear. They circled before Fox faked leaping left and went right instead, slamming the wolf to the ground and sinking his teeth into the meat of the wolf’s shoulder. Blood filled his mouth and the animal inside of him thundered to the surface. His blood heated and his instincts took control.

Teeth nipped at his hip and he whirled around, bloody teeth flashing in the lowlights of the alley, and found purchase in the next wolf’s neck. There was a strangled yelp as the wolf went down under him. They came at him at once, and for a moment he was overpowered. They were street wolves; they fought to survive, fought for money, fought for fun and blood and to impress females. 

But Fox was never one to back down from a fight, and he fought his way through flesh and fur until he beat them back, one by one. One of the black wolves had a broken leg, the two of the other wolves were slick with blood, and the brown wolf had deep puncture marks across his muzzle from Fox’s teeth.

Fox licked the blood from his muzzle before snarling, showing his teeth. He stood with paws firmly planted on the concrete, and his tail lifted high and fur standing on end. His ears were perked and eyes blazing with fire. He wasn’t untouched himself, his fur was bloody and his head was pounding, but the pain was just a whisper in the back of his mind. His focus was on the four wolves in front of him.

The brown wolf, Marcus, stepped forward as the two black wolves fled.

 _Your pack is ditching you,_ Fox said with a snap of his teeth, _maybe you should do the same._

 _I’m not turning tail,_ Marcus growled. _You don’t scare me._

Fox tilted his head before he ran forward, rushing Marcus. The wolf’s eyes were wild with panic when Fox slammed into him, shoving him to the ground. Marcus snarled, teeth snapping and kicking with his legs. Fox pinned him down, going for his neck when the silver wolf tackled him.

They rolled across the concrete and hitting the side of a building. Fox winced in pain, but knew he had to be fast. Faster than these two. He reached with his mouth, grabbing the silver wolf’s leg before he could stand and bit down hard.

_Snap!_

The silver wolf slumped back, whining and showing his belly. Fox turned from him, racing back to Marcus who was just standing there, watching. _Typical coward won’t even come to his packmate’s aid,_ Fox thought to himself.

They met together, snarling and biting; fur flying and blood wetting the ground. Fox was growing tired, and thought about Changing into his bipedal werewolf shape. He would be stronger and he could finish them with a swat of his arm. If they didn’t Change, too. And five giant, hulking werewolves in an alley would bring more attention than wolves.

No, he couldn’t do that. He got himself into his mess; he would have to get himself out.

Or he’d most likely die. And he couldn’t have that. He had a pack.

He had Collin.

Thinking of the white wolf, so vibrant and beautiful, a shard of moonlight taken to life, he felt energy rushing through him. He knocked Marcus to the ground with his shoulder and lunged onto him, biting through heavy fur and muscle until his teeth sank deep. He pulled Marcus back by the meat of his front leg and shook hard. The wolf yowled in pain.

A body slammed into his hip and he stumbled, letting the other brown wolf go. The silver wolf pushed at the other wolf until he was on his feet, and they were running clumsily down the alley and into the shadows.

Fox stood in the quiet, panting heavily and feeling a flood of endorphins that momentarily blocked the pain he was in. He just took on four wolves and fucking kicked their asses! He grinned and threw his head back to howl, singing his victory.

The pain from his injuries started to sink in and Fox realized he needed to get somewhere safe to Change back. He thought about going back inside the bar and using the bathroom, when he heard a shuffle of steps from the darkness.

Fox growled, turning his head back to the shadows. He saw a figure walking quickly toward him; it was one of the wolves only he had Changed back into his human skin. Fox didn’t like the idea of taking someone on when he was in fur and they weren’t, it didn’t seem fair to anyone in skin, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

He turned to face the man, and was coiling up to sprint forward, when a gunshot sounded. Pain hit Fox hard, and he yelped. Taking a bullet as a wolf was not as was the same as a werewolf. He didn’t have such heavy muscles or thick fur to keep him safe. Another shot rang out and he backed up. 

The wolf turned, ready to run, when a baseball bat came down on his head.


	4. Licking Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I apologize for the time it took me with this chapter. Hope you enjoy it! xoxo

Luke yelled as he leaped off the rocks and down into the crystal blue water below. The day was sweltering, and sure, they could have stayed inside the house with air-conditioning and fans, but Luke had started to feel cooped up and Collin admitted that he needed to blow off some steam. 

The area was just as Luke remembered it. The waterfall was rushing over grey slab rock and the trees were crowned with green and singing birds. The pool below was crystal clear and blue, the colors so vibrant they were straight out of a dream. The air was muggy and the heavy scent of water and green life hung in the air. Luke surfaced with a gasp and shook out his blond hair.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I think I’m going to live here,” Luke said as he swam across the pool to his brother, who was sitting on a rock in the sun. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

Luke splashed water at his brother. “What are you spacing off about?”

“I’m not spacing off, you have my complete attention.” Collin tilted his head back in the sunlight, letting it wash across his pale skin. He could sit here all day, all week, hell for a month and he still wouldn’t tan. Nevertheless that didn’t stop him from enjoying the sun.

Luke’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to answer when a large black wolf stepped from the trees that sheltered the pool. “How long have we been out here?” Luke asked as he watched the wolf. It glanced at them before it looped up to slick rocks to the top of the waterfall. A moment later, Raven was in his skin and leaping off the waterfall and into the pool below.

“You’re back from work already?” Luke asked when Raven surfaced near him. The older boy’s black hair was lose and mixed with the water like oil. His tanned skin was dark and flushed from so much time in the sun.

“We finished early,” Raven said as he pushed his hands through his hair. “Fox stayed in town.”

That caught Collin’s attention and he looked up with a frown. “Why?”

“I didn’t ask for details,” Raven said.

Luke ducked down under the water, stealing a guilty long look at Raven. He was in tight black shorts and nothing else. His skin was darkly tanned from his time in the sun, and his black hair wasn’t in a braid or ponytail, and hung heavy down his back and shoulders and into the water. Raven was tall and lean, with well-defined forearms and abs. 

Luke felt a blush rush through his face and he turned away, taking a breath and then diving down under the water. He stayed under until his lungs started to burn. But he didn’t want to surface. He’d just been checking out his friend! His packmate! And he’d found what he’d seen to be…good. Raven was attractive. 

He just knew that if Raven found out that he’d been ogling him, that he’d kick his ass. _You have no right to just stare at him, so stop it,_ Luke berated himself when he finally kicked to the surface and gasped for breath. Raven was in the same spot, talking to Collin who was slipping into the water.

 _Wait, when did I start checking out my friends?_ Luke turned away, swimming to the other side of the waterfall to hide. He curled his fingers into his hair as his heart started to pound and anxiety flooded through him, like angry butterflies. He felt twitchy and uncomfortably wired, and all he wanted to do was run away.

Because when he thought about his friends, there was really only one that came to mind, and with it came a flood of emotions. He shook his head and bit his lip.

“Luke? Where’d you go?”

He winced and turned, swimming out from the falls. “’m right here.”

“What are you doing?” Collin asked as he floated lazily through the water.

“I thought I saw a frog.”

…

Fox woke to familiar smells, but to a place he didn’t know. The mattress he laid on smelled like wolf and woman, and the air was thick with the smell of werewolves and alcohol. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the low light of the room. Somewhere out of sight candles flickered and cast shadows on the ceiling and the macramé wall hanging on the wall next to his head. The mattress he lay on was on the floor with pillows next to him along the wall and soft quilts folded to his side.

He shifted, wincing in pain, when the smell of blood filled his nose. He looked to his right and saw a dirty bowel of water next to him and a dish with a bloody knife in it and a crumpled bullet. Wait, a bullet? Fox frowned, rubbing between his eyes, and realized he was naked underneath the sheet.

Fox felt pain in his shoulder and saw that it was bandaged. He had bandages over different parts of him, covering wounds from wolf teeth. _That’s right. That fucking coward had actually shot me!_ While another hit him in the head. He felt anger bubble up in his gut and he growled softly—

The mattress shifted and Fox flinched, raising his head a little, looking up and seeing that Raven was sitting near his feet. The other boy was staring at him, his deep blue eyes unreadable. His long black hair was lose, hanging down his back and over his shoulder. Someone had woven feathers and beads into it, and when Fox reached back to rub his head, he felt a feather tucked in his hair, too.

_Black-paw’s daughters. This must be one of their rooms in the bar._

“Raven?” he finally asked. His voice felt raw.

Raven blinked and tilted his head. He was sitting cross-legged and had his arms resting on his legs. He was wearing old jeans and a black t-shirt. He had been reading a book by candlelight and his shoes were sitting on the floor next to him.

“I’m…still at The Golden Tooth? What happened?”

“River called me,” Raven said as he closed the book. “Said you got into a fight with Serene’s back and were hurt.”

“How did I get here?”

“They rescued you, apparently.”

“I don’t remember any of that,” Fox said, sitting up and rubbing his head.

Raven shrugged. “You changed back after they got you here, still passed out cold. I imagine from being drunk or just the shock of all the blood you’d lost, and shredded your clothing. They patched you up and called me.”

“I don’t suppose you brought me some clothes to wear home,” Fox asked as he finally sat up. He hissed at the pain. He must have Changed fast and clumsily, because he fucking hurt everywhere. He could smell blood and hoped he didn’t bleed through the bandages.

Raven pulled a folded pair of jeans and an old flannel shirt out from behind him and handed it to Fox, who dressed carefully and slowly. 

After pulling on his clothes he and Raven left the back room and found River and Maria sitting at the bar and counting tips. It was a little past eight, and only a few people were still in the bar, eating supper. Eyes turned to Fox when he and Raven walked in and approached the she-wolves. 

“Look who’s up and walking,” River said with a grin. She was darker skinned than her sister Maria, and her long black hair was hanging loose and she was wearing heavy silver loops in her ears. 

Fox blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “How long was I out?” 

“Not too long,” River said.

Fox smiled. “Thanks for helping me. You probably saved my life.”

Maria waved a hand at him. “Don’t worry about. We like your pack.”

“And Serene’s pack is always causing some kind of trouble. However this is the first time they’ve used a gun during a fight,” River added.

“They’re cowards,” Maria said with a low growl in her husky voice. “We should string them up by their skins and let the other wolves have them.”

“That is what we do to cowards who don’t follow the rules,” River agreed with a wicked grin that gave Fox the shivers. He really had no doubt that they would do it. Fox didn’t know the women that well, he was incredibly lucky that they had helped him. What little he did know was that they would do what they threatened, given the chance. The women were ruthless, just like their father. They were very old, and abided by the old ways, when werewolves were more rare and wild, and settled everything with tooth and claw.

“Anyway Foxie,” Maria purred, her face gentle now and her dark eyes gleaming in the low lights of the bar. “Don’t let that stop you from coming back here again soon. And bring your whole pack. We haven’t seen you together in too long.”

“Yes, and we heard you have a new puppy.”

“Yeah, Collin’s brother,” Fox said with a smile. “We’ll stop in for lunch sometime.”

Raven and Fox left after the short exchange. The moon was hidden behind storm clouds and the tall buildings were gleaming wet from the rain. The scent was still thick in the air and Fox tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flickered in the swollen clouds.

They parted at the vehicles and Fox slid stiffly into the driver’s seat of his car. He was starting to really ache. He turned the stereo off and cracked the window, letting the cool air ruffle his hair. 

When they left the city and merged onto the interstate they were driving into the storm. The clouds were black and huge, building higher and higher into the sky. Rain pelted the windshield and the wind gusted around them. Lightning flashed and crawled across the sky like fingers.

The road home was muddy and saturated, forcing the two vehicles to slow down until they were turning down to the long gravel driveway that lead to the house. The forest trees were swaying and the rain was mixing with pea-sized hail. Fox and Raven darted from the vehicles and to the house.

Fox paused on covered porch, watching as the sky flashed bright white. When the wind picked up again, throwing the rain in his face, Fox turned and headed inside.

Raven was nowhere to be seen and he didn’t see the rest of the pack either. It was just past nine, surprising him that everyone seemed to have already turned in for the night. He doubted any of them were actually asleep though. 

He frowned down at his feet which were bare and muddy, and a suddenly he was feeling nauseous. Pain throbbed and his head swam forcing him to lean against the wall for support.

He looked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and as Collin stopped cold, staring at him with widened eyes. His blonde hair was tousled from being in bed. His pajamas were rumbled, which made Fox want to smile. 

“Fox? I smelled the blood and…what happened?” he asked slowly approaching him.

Fox leaned heavily on the wall then, leaving a smear of blood. “I got into a fight at the Golden Tooth. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re bleeding all over—“ Collin said, rushing to his side and letting Fox lean on his shoulder. He helped Fox to the downstairs bathroom.

Fox kicked the toilet seat down and took a seat, closing his eyes and groaning. His head was spinning and pain was burning in his shoulder. “Damn, that hurts.”

He heard Collin getting out the first aid kit and then he was working at the buttons of Fox’s shirt and carefully pulling it off. The bandages had all bled through and had to be removed. Collin stared at Fox’s shoulder, at the bullet hole specifically.

“How did this happen? Why did someone at the bar shoot you?” he asked as he grabbed a towel and wet it. He gently cleaned Fox’s wounds and sterilized them to avoid infection.

“Serene’s pack showed up when I was about to leave,” Fox said as he watched Collin. He touched the boy’s pale hair, pushing it over his shoulder. “I recognized one of them as the wolf that had been sniffing around here on the full moon. Things were said, fight ensued, I kicked ass and one of them shot me and hit me with a baseball bat.”

Collin frowned and looked up, brown eyes sparking with anger. “I don’t know what I should be angrier about. You taking on a pack alone, or that they shot you.”

“I was hoping that they shot me,” Fox said with a half-grin. “I handled them just fine.”

Collin _tch_ ed. He gripped Fox’s thigh, where blood was starting to stain through the fabric of his pants, and caused the alpha to jump and yelp. Point having been made, Collin stood and tossed the bloody towel onto the floor and grabbed a clean one.

“I got bit a couple times, so what,” Fox said, trying to sound defensive but it came off as pouting and he looked away, “I still chased them off. Before they shot at me.”

“How did you get away?” Collin asked. “How did you get home?”

“Maria and River saved me after I was um, knocked unconscious,” he said and avoided eye-contact with his mate, “they called Raven and he brought me some clothes and found my keys and wallet in the alley. I drove myself home.”

To Fox’s surprise Collin leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. “If you weren’t so hurt, I’d smack you.”

“I’m not that hurt,” Fox said stubbornly as he stood and took off his pants. There were cuts and scrapes down his legs and his left side was black, blue and purple from his broken rib. He growled, pressing his hands on the awkward lump there and pushed down hard, snarling at the pain as he snapped the bone back in place for it to heal correctly.

“Did you at least find out why they were snooping around here?” 

Fox shook his head. “No. They were just looking for a fight.”

“Do you really think that?”

Fox exhaled, looking past Collin and at the wall. Collin’s soft hand caressed his face and Fox turned his attention back to his mate. He sighed and leaned forward, touching their foreheads and closing his eyes. Collin’s scent wrapped around him, warm and sweet and touched with moonlight. Fox shifted, tucking his face into Collin’s neck. Arms gentled encircled him and rubbed up and down his back.

“Come on, you need to wash off,” Collin said softly in his ear, “you stink.”

“Shower with me,” Fox said as he stood, pulling Collin with him. 

Collin chuckled. “If I get into the shower with you, then we both know what will happen.”

“That’s not so bad,” Fox said with a grin.

Collin shook his head. “Not happening wolf-boy.”

Fox’s grin only widened, and he shrugged and turned to the shower. He heard the door open and close as Collin left. Fox stepped into the shower after the water was hot, sighing heavily. Everything hurt, but the water was soothing, and he could smell Collin in the air. He closed his eyes, bowing his head, and let the water wash the blood away. He grabbed the shampoo and washed his hair and after he heard the door open and close again, he rinsed and stepped out.

Collin was there with pajamas and bandages. Fox dried off and started to bandage himself up. Collin leaned back against the sink, arms crossed across his chest. All wounds healed, some slower than others. Collin had always been fascinated with the ways werewolves scarred. Fox and Grey would always carry the scars of the wolves that had bitten them and Changed them. Grey had rough scars on his leg from a grenade that had gone off too close when he had rescued Luke from the hunters. 

“Hey? You okay?”

Collin stepped away from the sink, catching Fox’s hand. He brought it to his lips, kissing at the bruises on his skin, before closing the distance between them. Fox’s lips came down against his own, soft and breathy. 

Collin kissed him again when there was an urgent knock at the door.

“Are you two finished in there yet?” came Grey’s grumbling voice.

Collin licked his lips. “What do you want?”

“What do you think I want?”

“Go use the other bathroom.”

“Oh, come on, seriously? What the hell are you two doing, anyway?”

“Grey, we’re busy, get lost!” Fox finally snapped.

“Come clean your blood off the carpet,” Grey snapped back, “I’m not scrubbing it up!”

Collin shook his head as footsteps left the hallway and turned his attention back to Fox. He combed his fingers through his damp hair and then gently massaged the back of his neck. Collin leaned in for another kiss. 

Fox pulled back after a minute with a grunt, his hand pressed against his side where his broken ribs were healing. Collin’s fingers brushed over the bruised skin before he stepped away.

“What time is it?” Fox asked as he opened the medicine cabinet and rooted around until he found the aspirin and swallowed four.

“Not that late,” Collin answered as he opened the bathroom door. 

They were leaving the bathroom just as Grey was coming down the hallway to his bedroom. He was wearing flannel pajama pants and a long necklace dangled down his bare chest. “Wow,” he said when he saw Fox, “you are beat to shit.”

“I’m glad you noticed,” Fox grunted. “I’m going to bed. Are you coming?”

Collin shook his head. “You need to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep with you?”

“You won’t sleep then,” Collin said with a grin. “I’ll join you later.”

Collin walked him to the stairs, just to make sure he didn’t fall, and then returned to the hallway. Grey was cleaning up the blood in the bathroom and Collin went to help. “So what happened?”

Collin took the dirty clothes from the floor and wondered if it was even worth saving them. He supposed he could soak them overnight with the bloody towels. Grey had fetched the bleach and Collin sniffed as the smell burned his nose and made his eyes water. “He got into a fight with some wolves from Serene’s pack.”

Grey looked up, blue eyes dark for a moment. “They were the ones snooping around here, weren’t they?”

“Yup,” Collin said as they crossed through the house to the laundry room. There was a sink there so Collin dropped the bloody clothes in it and searched around for the bleach, before remembering they had used it in the bathroom. “There was a fight, and one shot at him. Maria and River chased them off after that.”

Grey hopped up onto the washing machine. “Fucking cowards. I say we go there now and get them back.”

“I knew you’d say that,” Collin said as he flipped the light switch off and walked through the house to the backdoor. The scent of bleach was making his head pound and he needed some fresh air. Grey and the dogs followed him out.

Directly out the backdoor was a cement slab where they kept the trashcans were and the grill. Only a portion of the backyard was fenced in for the dogs, the rest was open and lead straight into the surrounding forest. He could smell that there was a deer somewhere, a nervous doe that had spooked when the dogs had followed him outside.

“ _So_ do you think we should just hide with our tail between our legs?” Grey demanded.

Collin frowned at him. “And just what do you suggest we do, Grey? Go after the entire pack?”

“I don’t see why not,” he said stubbornly. “Seems like Fox did just fine on his own. Why couldn’t we take them all together? We took on those hunters, remember?”

Collin pursed his lips. “No, I wasn’t there, remember?”

“Right,” Grey said and stubbed his toe against the ground. One of the dogs ran up to him with the Frisbee. Grey threw it before he looked up at the sky. The storm had blown over and the stars were starting to sparkle across the sky, in the wake of retreated clouds.

The door opened behind them and Raven stepped out, barefoot and in nothing but black sweatpants. “Going after an entire pack is a bad idea,” he said, giving Grey a long look.

“Why?” Grey demanded, turning to the black wolf.

Raven leaned back against the house, his arms cross loosely over his chest. “Pack fights are different from the little bitch fights we’ve all had. And while the fight with the hunters was dangerous, it doesn’t compare with a fight between packs.”

Grey growled, but didn’t argue the point. The dogs swarmed around him again, begging for attention.

“How many wolves are in Serene’s pack?” Collin asked.

Raven thought for a moment. “Five, including Serene, and two females.”

Collin chewed on a nail nervously. “So seven to our four? If the females chose to fight.”

“Come on,” Grey argued loudly, “Fox whooped those four all by himself!”

“They were drunk and not organized and without their alpha,” Raven said. Maria had told him that Serene’s pack had been stumbling drunk when they had walked in the door. 

“What do they even want?” Grey asked. “We’ve never had a problem with them before. Why would they come all the way out here?”

“Territory,” Raven said, looking up at the sky. “They must be looking to move their pack and are looking for new territory.”

Grey felt his heart catch in his chest. “Our territory?”

“It’s possible. Think about how perfect it is here. We have this part of the forest to ourselves. We never have trespassers be they werewolf or human. There’s the lake and the Ridge, and the house.” Raven reached back, pulling a feather from his hair. He let the wind take it, dancing it through the air. “We’ve been lucky for way too long.”

They all glanced to the forest at the same time, but wolf instincts told them that they were alone. Grey felt a shiver run up his spine and held back a growl. “No way. There’s no way that they’d try to sneak in and steal this place out from under us.”

“It happens more often than you’d think,” Raven said. “All werewolves want the perfect territory. Most of the werewolves around here are content in the cities, because that’s where they were born. But deep down inside all of us, we want to be wild. Even the city packs. We all want to be back in the forest.”

“So they would just…just fucking take it?”

Collin looked out into the trees. Even standing here he felt it, a call to the wild, to become wolf and never come back. He wanted to run in his fur and he wanted to howl at the moon; hunt with his teeth and sleep in the grass. They were wild here, they had nature around them and they were free to be themselves. But what would they do if they were forced out of their home?

He glanced at Grey, whose eyes had suddenly gone wolf and his entire body was shaking. He and Raven both stepped towards Grey at once. “Hey, calm down,” Collin told him as he touched his shoulder. He could feel Grey shaking beneath his hand. It was easy to forget, when they weren’t in wolf fur, that Grey was the omega of the pack. Most omegas fit the part in both skin and fur. But not Grey. 

“They can’t take this place from us,” Grey said between sharp teeth. He closed his eyes hard as he struggled for control. “This is home.”

“Let’s not jump too ahead of ourselves,” Collin said as he massaged the back of Grey’s neck with his hand, digging his fingers his thick hair and gentle scraping his nails against his scalp. He felt some of Grey’s tension melt away. 

“I agree,” Raven said. “If we get too worked up over this, then we’ll just take it out on each other, or rush into something that doesn’t even exist. It’s best we stay calm.”

…

Healing hurt. When Fox opened his eyes it was seven-in-the-morning and he could smell bacon and eggs. His rumbling stomach had woken him, not the pain. But now that he was awake he sure did ache. He scrubbed his hand over his face and hoped like hell that he didn’t have to work today. He couldn’t remember, and he didn’t want to reach for the calendar.

The door creaked open and Fox looked up as Collin stepped into the bedroom. His hair was pulled back in a messy braid and he walked with a sleepy shuffle toward the bed.

“Hello, beautiful.”

Collin smiled and stretched out on his stomach next to Fox. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a chew toy,” he said, smiling back. “And I’m starving.”

“Grey and Luke are making breakfast.”

“I hope they don’t burn it this time,” Fox grumbled as he pressed a hand against his ribs.

“Does it hurt real bad?”

“You know you could just lick all my wounds and make me feel better.”

Collin sniggered. “I’m sure it would.”

“Seriously. It’s a wolf thing. I bet Raven could give a speech about it.”

Collin laughed again and nuzzled his face against Fox’s neck. “Yeah, but then you’d miss out on bacon.”

“Mm, I do love bacon,” Fox said as he ran his hand up and down Collin’s back.

Collin leaned over and kissed the tip of Fox’s nose. Fox followed him, trying to catch his lips in a kiss, but Collin squirmed away from him; his brown eyes twinkled and he smiled sweetly at him. “Your breath stinks.”

“So does yours.”


	5. Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I apologize to everyone who already read this chapter. I did delete and I rewrote a bit of it. I've been stuck and it's because I just hated chapters five and six so much, so I deleted them. I hope no one is disappointed by anything. Thanks for reading and keep howling xoxo

Luke wiped the sweat from his forehead and audibly sighed to himself. Between the busyness of the grocery store and the sweltering heat outside, Luke was really starting to feel worn down. All he wanted to do was go home and go swimming. Or just lay on the floor with a box of popsicles, which sounded just as good, to be honest. Or just sit down in front of a fan and take a nap. 

He checked his phone, quickly pulling it from his back pocket before anyone could see, to check the time. It was half-past-two, which meant that he had just an hour to go. _I can do this. It’s just another hour. It’ll be fine._

After all, he could be outside under the sun roofing houses with Fox, Grey and Raven. Grey had come home the other day with horrible sunburn and had been whining about it all night. Raven hadn’t had such a good day either when a human worker had accidently shot him in the hand with a nail gun. Raven had been forced to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot, which had infuriated him. He hated hospitals and his patience for dealing with humans was starting to waver. Once home he had taken off in his wolf fur and had been out until after dark. Collin made sure that there was a plate of food from supper for him in the refrigerator.

If the pack could stay outside for ten hours, when it was well over a hundred degrees in the sun, then he could do this. He tightened his apron and started to cross through the store to the front where the registers were when a scent caught his attention, making him freeze in mid-step. It was a heavy, musky werewolf scent, mixed with clove cigarettes and something sour. He turned, looking for the source.

A tall man had stopped in the middle of the aisle to stare at him. Luke stared back, lavender eyes wide and lips slightly parted. He couldn’t believe, honestly. Of all the grocery stores in this city _he_ just had to shop at this one.

It was the alpha from the pack party.

When the man started to walk towards him, Luke wanted to run. His muscles tightened and his hands trembled. However, with the rush of fear came a sudden realizing: Fox wasn’t here to rescue him, and Collin wouldn’t be around for another hour to drive him home. He would have to deal with this on his own. 

“You’re the kid from the party,” the man said.

Luke tilted his head. The guy didn’t look quite so threatening here. In fact, he looked downright average. He was holding a shopping basket, which contained a six-pack of beer, grilling vegetables, a couple steaks wrapped in butcher’s paper, and a roll of paper towels. Even his scent, now that he was closer, wasn’t as overwhelming as Luke had thought it to be.

Maybe the party had been so overwhelming that Luke had exaggerated everything about this man? 

“Yeah,” Luke said. He frowned. “And you’re the jerk that kissed me.”

The man’s eyes darted around and he scowled at the little blond. “No so loud,” he hissed.

“What? I didn’t do anything wrong,” Luke said. “You’re the creep.”

The man’s cheeks flushed. “I am not a creep!”

“Are so!” Luke argued. “You assaulted me. That makes you a creep.”

The alpha was flabbergasted. He shook his head. “Hey. I was just—I was a little drunk, and—you are way too young to be going to parties like that!”

“Yeah, I realize that now, but it’s still no excuse,” Luke said. “You’re still a pig.”

He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing, before answering, “Okay—I’m sorry.”

Luke blinked and stared up in disbelief. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I haven’t been an alpha for very long. I let it get to my head. I’m just the head of a little pack—just some friends. We aren’t really—I’m just sorry.”

Luke chewed the inside of his lip before he shrugged. “Whatever. Get out.”

When the man turned and stalked to the front of the store to the check-out lanes, Luke swayed on his feet and had to lean against one of the shelves to keep from stumbling. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. He wasn’t sure if he could be proud of himself or berating himself for saying such things.

…

An hour later Collin parked in the Boulder’s parking lot and crossed through the heat to the grocery store, which was blissfully cool inside. He found Luke in the freezer aisle. He had his apron off and his shirt was untucked and his tie was hanging lose around his neck. His hair was ruffled and he looked tired.

“Long day?” Collin asked as he stood next to his brother.

Luke nodded and exhaled. “Yeah. It was busy and it’s really freaking hot.” He had thought about telling Collin that he’d seen the alpha, but decided against it. The more he thought about the man, the more he remembered the taste of unwanted tongue in his mouth. And knowing Collin, he’d be pissed that Luke would do something so stupid. “I was thinking of ice cream and popsicles.”

“We’ve eaten enough popsicles that we could build a whole new house with the little wooden sticks.”

“I think they’re just called popsicle sticks.”

“Whatever,” Collin said as he pulled open one of the glass doors. Cold air misted around them and fogged up his sunglasses. He pushed them to the top of his head. “What kind do you want?”

“Watermelon,” Luke said. “Oh, and the lemonade!”

“Lemonade?” Collin wrinkled his nose.

Collin had braided his long white hair, and Luke reached out to tug on it. “Pleeeeease.”

He sighed and grabbed the box. “Why am I buying these? You have a job?”

“I’m still broke.”

Collin purchased the boxes on their way out and once they were in the car, Luke opened the box of lemonade popsicles. “Yu~m,” he hummed as he unwrapped it.

“Oh, you’re on your own for supper tonight,” Collin said as they left the parking lot and waited at the stop lights. “Grey is in town, Raven is running amok somewhere, and Fox and I have a date.”

“Can you bring me some leftovers?”

“What? No,” Collin laughed. He pushed his sunglasses back onto his nose. “You’ll survive.”

“I’ll starve,” Luke whined around the popsicle.

“I’d argue with you, but I’ve seen how you can ruin eggs.”

“Eggs are difficult to cook.”

“And ramen noodles.”

“They’re hard when you have a short attention span!”

“No,” Collin said with a grin, “no, they really aren’t.”

“Well, that’s fine, have a good date,” Luke said as he adjusted the vents so the air-conditioning was blowing his way. “What are you guys going to do?”

“Eat somewhere fancy and then f—“

“No! No! I don’t want to know!”

…

Pineview City was home to a plethora of restaurants, cafes, diners, bars, and bakeries. The city did love its food. What made it unique and wonderful was that most of these places were locally owned and were passed down through generations. Yes, Collin loved getting his morning coffee at Starbucks, but when it came to sitting down for a good, hearty meal, he preferred one of the many restaurants that were unique to the city.

Tonight Fox had made reservations at The Cut, a classy rooftop steak restaurant that Collin had never been to, or even heard of. 

“Are you ready yet? We have reservations,” Fox called up the stairs.

“Sorry!” Collin shouted back. He was running behind because he let himself get distracted by Luke, who had found Collin’s Nintendo DS and needed help defeating a boss. Now he was running behind. He shoved Luke off the bed and grabbed his blazer.

He rushed down the stairs where Fox was waiting. Fox was leaning against the kitchen counter, hands in his pockets and a lop-sided smile on his face. His hair, always messy and looking like he had just gotten out of bed, was a bit more tame and stylish than usual. He was wearing black skinny jeans, a red and black plaid button-up and his leather jacket.

“I feel a little underdressed,” he said with a little laugh.

Collin blushed. He was wearing a light grey sweater with a white dress shirt beneath it, and a casual black blazer over it all. He had tried to find his best jeans, only they seemed to be missing, and had settled for the second best pair, which was still a little scuffed.

He adjusted his blazer. “Is it too much?”

“No,” Fox said with a grin. “You’re perfect.” He held out his hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Collin said, slipping his hand into Fox’s. He turned on his heel. “Luke! We’ll be back later! Call if you burn the house down while making ramen!”

“Bite me!”

…

The rooftop restaurant had all glass walls, giving it a perfect view of the city at night. The lighting was low and romantic, the woodwork and stonework were fancy and elegant and the waiters wore black suits and the waitresses black skirts and blouses. Everyone seemed to be dressed nicer than they were.

“Wow, what a view,” Collin said as they were shown to their table. “Do I want to know how much everything costs?”

Fox chuckled. “I’ve been saving up, so don’t worry about it.”

Neither was old enough to drink legally, so they ordered a pitcher of water. The menu was filled with rich cuts of meat, seafood, chicken and even more unique mixes of vegetables and salads. Collin, of course, turned straight for the dessert part of the menu.

“Holy shit, they have like twenty different kinds of cheesecake,” he murmured delightfully.

“Why do you think I chose this place?” Fox said as he sipped the water from the stemless wineglass.

“That’s why I love you. You give me sweets.”

“Our courtship would have been easier if I had known that from the beginning.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Collin purred.

Collin had to admit that it was a near perfect date. The atmosphere was private and quiet, with soft jazz playing over the sound system. Fox ordered steak with grilled shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Collin ordered a filet mignon with a mushroom wine sauce, grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes. But as good as the meat was, it wasn’t anything compared to the dessert.

“The restaurant does have a closing time,” Fox said with a gentle laugh, “you have to decide.”

“Why don’t they have a sample platter of cheesecakes?” Collin whined.

“Because this is a fancy place,” Fox said. “We’ll pick two different ones and can share.”

Collin, after Fox called the waiter over to put some pressure on him, finally decided on red velvet cheesecake, and Fox ordered key lime cheesecake. As promised they shared, and Collin was left feeling warm and full and satisfied.

After they argued on the bill (Collin insisted on helping with the check, and Fox finally gave it and let him,) they left the restaurant and walked to their car.

Fox shrugged out of his leather jacket and Collin his blazer once they were in the car. It might have been nice and cool in the restaurant, but outside the heat was muggy and thick, and there were lots of mosquitoes out. 

“So, what should we do now?” Fox asked.

Collin knew what Fox was getting at, and chose ignorance. “How about a movie?”

“A movie?” Fox repeated and wrinkled his nose. 

“Not what you were thinking?” Collin teased. He glanced at Fox, who was pulling the car out into traffic. It wasn’t very late and the traffic was bumper-to-bumper. It was too busy for Collin’s taste; he’d rather be out in the country where it was just the pack and nature.

“I was thinking of some…private time.”

“Mm, private time,” Collin hummed. “I think we have a little time for that.”

“I think I know a spot.”

Hamilton’s Park was nestled in the city and was often used for wedding ceremonies, family reunions and birthday parties. What made the park special was the overlook that looked down onto Pineview City and the huge open grass areas combined with heavy trees and untamed woodlands. The park was empty now; it was dark and humid and there were no street lights up here. It was the park’s attempt not to obstruct the view the city and the stars, but there was enough light pollution from Pineview alone to fog the sky. The view was nothing compared to the sky at home.

Good thing they didn’t come here for the stars.

“I want you to know something,” Collin said after they had parked.

Fox turned off the car and focused his attention on his mate. “Yeah?”

“I love you,” Collin said as he took a deep breath. “I love you so much, Fox. And I know you’re the alpha. You’re in charge, and that’s the way it is. But I’m your mate. I’m _yours_ ,” as he spoke he caught Fox’s green eyes and refused to look away.

Fox shifted in his seat, staring at his lover with worry lines creasing his forehead. “Collin, I love you, too. And I’m just as much yours as you are mine.”

“Which is why I want you to promise to never, ever leave me behind again,” Collin said. He stared at Fox, unwavering and unwilling to blink. “And to never ever rush into another fight that you might lose.”

Fox shifted in his seat. “What? Collin—“

“I should have been there when you went after the hunters,” Collin said, emotions rising in his voice. “You shouldn’t have left me at home. I’m your mate! And that was my brother! I should be there to fight beside you. You worry so much that I’m some delicate flower, but goddamn it, Fox, I’m wolf, too. My teeth are just as sharp as yours, and I’m just as agile and able to fight as you and the rest of the pack. I’m not weak.”

Fox licked his lips and looked away for a moment, staring out the window at the city that stretched out below them. Then he looked back to Collin. He was right, Fox knew that. He wanted to argue about keeping Collin safe. Wanted to say that it was for his own good. That it would kill him if anything happened to Collin. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Collin quickly added, “that you just want to keep me safe. But you forget that that’s all I want for you, too. To keep you safe.”

“It’s the alpha’s job to keep his pack safe,” Fox said softly.

“I’m an alpha, too,” Collin reminded him, “we’re a set.”

Fox took Collin’s hand and squeezed it. He could feel the energy surging through the boy next to time. They were mated, and they were bonded. When they were close Fox felt like a magnet, drawn to him, needing contact, and when it was made, the most wonderful rush hummed through him. Collin was his other half, a connecting puzzle piece, his wolf-mate. 

“Okay,” he said softly. “I promise to…try. I just want you safe. You know that.”

“Tell you what,” Collin said as he ran his thumb over Fox’s knuckles, “during the next full moon, if I take you down, you can’t argue with me about this ever again.”

Fox’s eyebrow quirked and his lips twitched. “Oh yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You could always take me down right now.”

Collin pursed his lips, trying not to smile, and failed. He could smell the arousal in the air; Fox’s alpha pheromones were thick and heavy in the air. Collin glanced down as Fox’s hand ran up his leg. Warmth prickled across his flesh and his heart started to beat faster. He bit the inside of his lip.

“Just as long as we’re clear,” he said as Fox’s hand slid up his thigh and between his legs.

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” Fox said, already distracted by the soft scent of his mate. “Absolutely.”

Collin’s breath caught as Fox started to massage him through his jeans. He squirmed and glared at the boy next to him. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” Fox said. He felt Collin’s member harden in his hand. The scent wafted through the air and he growled in his chest. “I always take you seriously.”

Collin opened his mouth to argue, but bit back a moan instead. “You’re such an ass—“

He spread his legs and leaned back, trembling as Fox’s hand continued to fondle him. Then Fox was undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, and Collin lifted his hips and shoved his pants down his legs. He shuddered as Fox’s warm hand wrapped around his cock and stroked.

He moaned, soft and husky and sweet.

“I love that sound,” Fox said, his voice rough. He watched Collin’s face; his eyes were closed and his brow furrowed as his hips moved slowly in time with Fox’s hand. Fox grinned and leaned down to lick up Collin’s hardened cock.

“Oh—“ Collin yelped. “Sh-shit—“

Fox continued to lick and lavish attention on the sensitive head of his mate’s erection. He kissed it, nibbled it, and licked away the pre-cum. He could feel Collin trembling, his entire body was shaking, and he was making the softest, most erotic sounds.

“Ah— _oh_ —“ Collin gasped. “Stop—you need to stop!”

Fox raised his head, licking his lips, and blinked at Collin. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m about to finish without you,” Collin said his voice tight and strained. 

Fox nodded and glanced around. His car wasn’t that big and they were incredibly cramped. But he would make it work. He reached for the glovebox and grabbed a tube of lubricant from it.

Collin laughed, soft and breathless. “Seriously?”

“Hey, you never know,” he said with a crooked grin. “Um, tilt your seat back?”

“How about the backseat?” Collin suggested. He would have preferred outside under the stars, but even in his state of lust he knew that the mosquitoes would eat them alive.

Fox glanced back there before nodding. Collin kicked off his shirts, pants and shoes and slipped between the seats and into the back. Fox followed him after tugging off his shirt. Collin lay back on the seat and laughed. 

“Why do movies always portray this as easy?” he asked. “Should I turn over?”

“I want to see your face.” They had always made love face-to-face. It wasn’t that they were boring or didn’t like to try new things, sometimes they started off with Collin on his belly, but in the end, Fox always wanted to see his lover’s face when he was coming.

Collin welcomed Fox between his legs, gasping as two slick fingers slid into him. He raised his hips, helping as much as he could, while gasping for breath. Fox scattered kisses down Collin’s slender neck, biting and bruising it; he left welts along his collarbone and sucked his nipples until Collin was squirming and begging.

Sweat shined on his skin and Fox captured Collin’s lips again, tasting him with his tongue. Collin buried his hand in Fox’s hair; pulling hard and making the kiss last longer, so when they broke apart, they were gasping for air.

Fox added more lube and another finger, and when Collin started to move his hips, he felt that his mate was ready. He applied a thick amount of lube to his cock, groaning as he stroked himself. “Are you ready?” he asked in a rough voice.

The air in the car was thick and heavy, Collin could taste their scent and pheromones, and it was like a film in the back of his throat. He licked his lips. “Yes.”

Collin’s nose scrunched up and he frowned when Fox started to push into him. It hurt at first, it always did, but with the pain blossomed pleasure, and the heat started to stoke inside him. He lifted his hips, helping Fox until he was completely seated inside him, hot and throbbing.

“Mm—“ Collin whined. His hands found Fox’s arms, gripping tight to anchor himself. Fox started slowly, rocking over him, his hips moving at a somewhat disjointed pace due to the lack of room in the back of the car. 

Collin’s head fell back onto the seat as Fox thrust into him, slowly not to hurt him. Collin raised his hips to meet him the best he could. The muscles in Fox’s arms were tense from holding up his weight, and his brow was knitted in concentration. Collin ran his hand up Fox’s bare chest, brushing it over his cheek, then fisted his hair, pulling him down for a kiss.

They moved together, forgetting the outside world, consumed by their lust and desire. Fox grunted with every thrust, fucking Collin as slowly for as long as he could, until the heat was too much, and he was moving faster. By now Collin was a mess, his skin sweaty, his hair spread out over the seat, and his entire body trembling. He reached between their bodies, stroking himself, gasping as Fox’s pace increased.

“Faster—“ Collin begged. “Faster—ah yes—“

Fox leaned down, sucking on the sweaty flesh of Collin’s neck. He could feel the boy’s pulse beneath his lips, against his tongue, and he bit. Collin came with a cry, his body bucking beneath him, and Fox followed him with a loud cry. He thrusts were sloppy and a bit a rough, but he continued to move until he was completely spent and Collin was whimpering beneath him. 

He stopped and slumped down onto his mate. They were both exhausted and dirty. 

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” Fox asked quietly.

“No,” Collin replied. He nuzzled his face into Fox’s neck. “I like you here, like this.”

Fox chuckled. “If only we were at home in bed.”

Collin snorted a laugh. “If only.”

…

Luke wasn’t home alone very often and decided to take advantage of his time. He turned the radio up, let the dogs in the played fetch with them, and turned the television to the channel he wanted. When his stomach started to growl he went into the kitchen, and remembered what Collin had said about ruining food.

After ten minutes of staring into the refrigerator and glancing in various kitchen cabinets he decided to bake some pre-cooked chicken strips in the oven, along with some French fries. He did almost burn them when he went outside to play with the dogs.

Luckily it was just a few darkened French fries.

He had finished eating and was just getting comfortable on the couch to watch a movie when the dogs leaped to their feet and started barking wildly. Luke stared at the two huskies as they ran to the kitchen door, barking and yowling so loud it made Luke cover his ears. The dog’s barks grew high and shrill, and their tails tucked between their legs.

Luke’s heart started to pound as fear rushed through his veins. He ran into the kitchen. “What are you guys barking at?” he shouted as he nervously pulled the curtain from the front door window to peer out, and at the same time he make sure both locks were secure. But when he looked out into the dark he saw nothing. He was turning to switch on the porch light when he saw a shadow move across the window in the kitchen.

The scent of urine filled the air and Luke turned as the two dogs, suddenly silent, peed themselves and slinked back against the wall, whining. Luke stepped toward them, speaking softly, when a shiver ran up his spine. The sudden rush was cold, and he froze in his steps. A sudden urge to run hit him, making him wobble on his feet. 

He recognized that feeling. He’d had the same feeling when he’d been approached by werewolves other than his pack, especially stronger ones. But there weren’t any other werewolves out here. It was just their pack.

But the feeling persisted, and Luke started to feel sick.

Slowly he turned and saw a pair of yellow eyes watching him through the kitchen window. The werewolf pulled its lips back into a terrible smile, showing all its teeth.

Luke squeaked in surprise, stepping back and stumbling over a chair and to the floor.

The window was closed, and the glass fogged when the werewolf released a breath. When it snarled the glass rattled and Luke scrambled to his feet, limbs shaking and knees weak. The wolf snorted, shaking its head, staring at Luke, when it violently slammed its head into the glass, shattering it.

The dogs bolted around Luke, nearly knocking him to the floor. He leaned his hand against the wall, watching as the werewolf tried to shove through the window, which was too small. The werewolf snarled in frustration, snapping its teeth at Luke. It tried again to shove through the window, but it was stopped by its shoulders.

Luke was frozen. He’d been around his friends as wolves, he knew them, and he trusted them. But he had yet to see them all in their werewolf fur. He didn’t remember very much when he was rescued from the hunter’s laboratory. Right now all he could remember was Dave. Dave had looked at him with wild, hungry eyes, had shown him his teeth, and had done terrible things.

This werewolf had hungry eyes and drool dripped from its snarling teeth. When it snapped its teeth the sound echoed through the house. When it rammed the window again, the wall shook.

Panic snapped inside Luke ran out the kitchen and into the den where he saw large shadows out the windows. He froze again; breathing heavily and heart thundering so loud in his chest that the blood flowing through his ears nearly deafened him. 

The werewolf had disappeared from the kitchen window, but he could see several sets of yellow eyes peering at him from the darkness. He backed up, shaking as fear made him light-headed.

_What do I do?! What am I supposed to do?!_ No one else was home. He had no idea where they were. He looked across the room to the telephone on the wall—

Weight suddenly hit the front door, shaking it and sending glass spraying inside the house. Luke looked around for a weapon, anything to defend himself with. It would be futile, he knew that, but he wasn’t going to stand here helpless!

He heard the screen door being torn away, but the main door held strong. The werewolf, larger than the previous one with black fur and furious brown and gold eyes, shattered the door’s window and shoved his arm through the window. Luke realized with a start what it was going to do, and turned and ran to the hallway closet. He reached around until he found a baseball bat and ran back, heart hammering.

The werewolf was pushing against the door as it reached for the locks. Luke closed his eyes, gathered his courage, and rushed the door. He raised the baseball bat and brought it down hard on the werewolf’s hand. The wolf snarled in surprised, jerking its arm back through the window, and Luke scrambled back as the werewolf shoved its head through the window to bite at him. Luke raised the bat again, swinging just as hard as before, and hit the werewolf in the mouth.

The werewolf jerked back in surprise, snarling and leaving behind a smear of blood and several teeth. Luke could hear more snarling and growling, and heavy steps on the porch, even the sound of wood being torn apart, but they didn’t go at the door again. 

Nothing happened. Luke stood amongst broken glass and splintered wood, baseball bat held firmly in his hands. Waiting.

…

Grey’s tail was wagging as he and Raven trotted down the driveway to the house in their wolf fur. Really, he hadn’t meant to be gone so late. He had been in town and his car had been making a weird sound that he couldn’t diagnose so he left it at the shop overnight and had Changed into his fur and walked home. Sometimes he forgot how nice it was to be on four legs and moving with the wind. He wasn’t like Collin and Raven, who were connected with their wolves on a spiritual level, and he wasn’t an alpha like Fox. Grey had never felt all that connected to the monster side of him. He supposed he was still learning, still coping with what he was. 

Then Raven had come across him in a field and they had darted off together to race and hunt rabbits. It was more fun than Grey thought possible, and now Raven was trotting next to him, a large rabbit in his mouth. The gray wolf padded happily alongside the black wolf, with his tongue hanging from his mouth and his ears slightly flopped. He was exhausted and his muscles ached, but it was a good feeling.

Suddenly Raven stopped, the dead rabbit falling from his mouth. His hackles rose and he growled through bared teeth. Grey stopped also, ears perked and body stiff as he stared at the house. Windows were broken, the stench of uninvited werewolves and urine was everywhere, and the front door looked like it had been hit with a battering ram. The screen door was lying out in the yard and parts of the front porch had been ripped to pieces.

They ran for the house, hearts pounding. Raven caught a scent and ran around the house while Grey Changed. He was in a hurry and stumbled over his paws as they turned into hands and feet. He stopped himself from falling and paused to focus on not to shredding his clothing.

He ran up the steps to the front door which was too damaged to open. Thank God they had bought the most expensive, durable door they could find. Knowing he couldn’t get in that way he went around the house, leaping the fence and went to the side door that opened to the kitchen. He unlocked it and rushed inside, sliding on the tile floor.

Glass and wood shards were scattered across the floor from the broken window and battered door. The kitchen sink was filled with glass and the curtains were shredded. The scent of werewolf blood caught his attention and he walked through the kitchen to the front door. There was blood smeared on the woodwork and two teeth lying on the floor.

He frowned and looked up and turned around, meeting a frightened pair of lilac eyes. Peering out from the downstairs hallway was Luke, white as a ghost and stinking so thick of fear that it nearly fogged the room. Dunri and Dashi were at his feet, ears squared and tails limp with fear. When the dogs saw Grey they ran for him, crying and whining.

Grey pet the dogs to calm them down before he shooed them away and walked to Luke, who hadn’t moved. “Hey, Luke,” he said gently. Luke was holding a baseball bat in his pale, white-knuckled hands and Grey noted that there was blood smeared on the bat.

Slowly he took the bat from Luke, setting it down against the wall, then pulled Luke into a hug. He was shaking and Grey could smell the tears that Luke was trying so hard to hold back.

After a minute Grey pushed Luke back, hands on the boy’s shoulders, as he leaned down to his eye-level. Luke’s lilac eyes were red-ringed and wide with fright, but the scent of his fear was starting to dissipate. “Luke, what happened?”

“Werewolves tried to get in the house,” he said, voice slightly hoarse.

“Did you get a good look at them?”

“Um…um well kind of. They were dark in color—and they were—so big—“ Luke gasped in alarm when he saw a big black wolf walk through the door that Grey had left open. But Dunri and Dashi didn’t move from where they were at Grey’s feet, nor did they bark. He realized with a start that it was Raven as a wolf. The wolf was picking his way carefully through the glass, sniffing at the ground, ears forward on alert and tail held high.

Grey directed Luke to sit on the couch and went to retrieve a broom from the laundry room and started cleaning up the glass. Raven entered the living room, sniffing around the front door and then walked over to Luke. The boy was twisting his hands together and had squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to calm down.

The wolf sighed, walking up to the boy and resting his chin on Luke’s leg and nudged him. Luke opened his eyes smiled weakly, petting his hands through the wolf’s heavy black fur and over his ears. “I’m okay, Raven,” he said. The wolf made a soft sound and Luke shook his head. “Okay, I-I’m really scared. They’re gone, right?” He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. 

The wolf whined softly, licking at Luke’s hand. Luke gave him one final scratch behind the ears and the black wolf was stepping away and left the house.

Luke pushed his hands through his hair and stood up. “Let me help?” he asked Grey as he walked around the couch and into the kitchen.

Grey gave him the garbage bag and together they swept up the glass and wood splinters. Grey picked up one of the broken teeth and smiled at Luke. “Good job, my man.”

Luke stared at it, and then held his hand out. Grey gave it to him, and Luke picked up the other one. “He was trying to get in the door. When he pushed his head in, I hit him with the bat.”

Grey smiled at him. “I’m proud of you. That must have taken a lot of guts.”

“I was terrified,” Luke said, looking at him. “There were no guts. I’m…I was helpless and…” He exhaled heavily and shrugged. “Should I throw these away?”

“We could put them on a chain and you could wear them.”

“What? That’s stupid.”

Grey smiled brightly. “People wear shark’s teeth.”

They finished cleaning up the glass and Grey shoved the door back onto the frame enough that it would open and close, though not without a fight. Then they taped cardboard over the windows and Grey took down the ruined curtains in the kitchen.

“Is that…going to be secure enough?” Luke asked worriedly as he stood in front of the door.

“They won’t come back tonight,” Grey said, glancing at the clock. “Not with me and Raven here, and Fox and Collin will soon be back.”

“It was Serene’s pack, wasn’t it?” Luke asked. Luke didn’t know a lot about what was going on, only a few details his brother had told him when they were driving to the grocery store. He knew that a strange wolf had lurked around, and that Fox had been in a fight at some bar with said wolf. 

“Yeah, it was,” Grey said. “I’m sorry I left you here alone.”

Luke frowned. “Don’t be sorry. I don’t need someone to watch over me, just because I can’t Change like the rest of you guys.” 

Grey gave him a long look and exhaled. “Come on, we need to relax. How about I make us a couple of milkshakes?”

Luke nodded; milkshakes did sound good. “I’m just going to go and change, okay?”

Luke headed upstairs, not feeling scared now that Grey was home and Raven was outside prowling. He changed out of his jeans and t-shirt and into a pair of pajama pants and sleeveless shirt. When he went back downstairs Grey had two chocolate shakes ready for them. He had also changed into his pajamas.

“Did you want to watch a movie?” Grey asked as Luke sat down on the sofa. He handed him one of the tall glasses filled with ice cream.

“I don’t really care,” Luke said. He was just happy he wasn’t alone anymore.

Grey channel-surfed, stopping on a movie about an alien invasion. Soon the glasses were empty and Luke was sitting back, legs crossed and with his hands folded in his lap and eyes on the television but he was only half paying attention.

Luke glanced over at Grey, who was laughing when someone was killed rather gruesomely by an alien soldier. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, a messy mixture of black and grey and a little white. His eyes were blue and bright; his eyebrows black with a silver stud in one. He had surprisingly thick lashes and clear skin. He wasn’t wearing any earrings right now, or any other jewelry besides a big silver ring he always wore on his left hand that was shaped like the head of a wolf.

Luke continued to look at him, not really realizing he was openly staring, until Grey shifted and leaned back on the couch. Luke flinched and focused his attention on the television. The two characters on the screen, the cliché hero and damsel-in-distress were kissing passionately and stripping each of their clothes. Luke swallowed hard and felt his ears get hot. When the clothes were gone and the kisses were deep, he looked away. 

“Hey,” Grey inquired. “What’s up?”

Luke looked at him, trying not to blush in embarrassment. “Huh?”

“You okay?” Grey asked, giving him a little smile. He was still worried about the boy. He’d gone through quite a fright just an hour ago, and it was understandable if he was still a little shaken up. Grey had hoped he could help Luke relax, but he seemed just as tense as he was earlier. Luke was sensitive; things seemed to stay with him longer.

Collin had been that way in the beginning, too. After his suicide attempt he had been scared of his shadow. But he had had Fox to help him through it, someone to hold him at night and guide him through the phases of the moon. Luke had the entire pack to help him through the transition, whenever it started.

Grey looked at him closely now. The boy was cute, not just pretty like his brother. He had bright golden hair, unique lilac eyes, and his smiles were so honest; bright like the sun or sweet and shy. He was so innocent in so many ways, but he’d been through more in his lifetime than anyone should ever have to deal with. Yet he still continued to smile, laugh and worked to put his life back together. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Luke said. He turned back to the television where the two characters were now fully engaged in sex that was there just for the hell of it. But watching their passionate kisses made Luke’s stomach turn.

Grey smiled and turned his attention back to the television and laughed. “Is this making you uncomfortable? I can change the channel.”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen people have sex before,” Luke said. He blushed and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like it sounded!”

Grey was laughing. “It’s okay.”

He dropped his head into his hands and sighed heavily. He glanced at the television once more and then shook his head. “Hey, Grey. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, you know you always can.” He turned his attention to Luke.

Luke twisted his hands together. He was quiet for a moment, before saying, “Being kissed like that,” he nodded to the television, “what’s it like?”

Grey’s eyes widened slightly and he turned, sitting so he was facing Luke. “What?”

“I just…” Luke sighed, staring down at his hands. “When that man kissed me at the party—what he did, it was just. It was gross. I was just wondering if all kisses were that way.”

He didn’t answer for a few seconds, because he didn’t know what to say. He glanced at the television; the sex was done and there was another alien attack happening. “All kisses are different,” he finally answered, “I guess it depends who you’re with. Some people are good kisses, others aren’t. Everyone is different.”

“It was just a horrible first kiss,” Luke said. “I don’t know if I ever want to do it again.”

He blurted the words out so fast that Grey almost didn’t catch them, and when he realized what Luke had said, he almost blushed himself. “Don’t say that,” he said, “kissing can be really wonderful. Especially with the right person.”

Luke looked up at him, meeting Grey’s blue eyes. Grey had slept with people, how many Luke didn’t really know, but that meant he must be a good kisser, right? He wondered what it would be like to kiss Grey. He focused on his lips, soft and pink, and remembered the way he smiled. His smile could outshine the stars.

The way Luke was staring at him made Grey’s heart pound harder in his chest. And right now Grey wished that Luke was somebody else. Anyone else but Collin’s little brother. Because Grey was wondering if maybe Luke had been looking at him in the same way he was. Grey honestly couldn’t pin point the moment when he’d started to look at Luke completely different, but ever since it had happened, he’d stopped looking at anyone else seriously.

“Well, you’ll have plenty more kisses,” he said cheerfully. “So many I’m sure that you’ll forget all about what happened with that loser.”

Luke laughed now. “Yeah, right.”

“What, you don’t believe me?” Grey said, grinning at him. “Luke, you’re cute if you hadn’t noticed. Someday you’re going to find some little werewolf girl who is going to make your heart flutter and you’re going to drown in each other’s kisses.”

Luke blushed darkly and stared at him. “You…really think that?”

“Sure, why wouldn’t it happen?”

Luke bit his lower lip and exhaled a heavy breath. “But what if…” he stopped.

“What if what?” Grey asked, tilting his head.

“You know what, forget it, it was stupid,” he said as he moved to leave the sofa. 

“You can’t leave it at that, it’ll drive me insane wanting to know,” he said with a grin.

Luke sat back and looked at him, looking too cute and shy for Grey to handle. His heart thumped in his chest and Grey fidgeted, feeling nervous, which was something he never felt. He took a deep breath and said, “Hey.” More words were supposed to follow that, but he lost them.

Luke looked at him expectedly. He had turned so they were facing, and his fingers were twisting the material of his pajama pants. Suddenly he was feeling afraid again, but for a whole different reason. He frowned and shook his head. “What do you do when you like someone?” 

“You tell them.”

“But what if you’re scared?”

“You suck it up, and you tell them.”

“But what if you’re like, _really_ scared? Because you’ve never liked anyone before? And you don’t know how to—how to do it? I mean that, there are so many emotions and feelings and I feel so fluttery, and I can’t really contain it. And I want to—I want to just. I mean to say, that it’s so, so scary.”

“Write a note and put it in their locker.”

Luke’s lips pursed and he frowned at the boy across from him. “But that’s…” Luke shrugged. “Okay. I’ll think about that.”

“Who do you like?” Grey asked, swallowing hard.

“I can’t tell you that,” Luke said, voice trembling.

“Why not?”

“B-because…”

Grey licked his lips. His stomach was flip-flopping and he felt like he was shaking, but he certainly hoped that wasn’t the case. Why was he so nervous? He’d liked people before, had dated and fucked and kissed before, but he had never felt this way. “Is it me?”

Luke inhaled and stared down at his pajamas. He shrugged.

“If it’s me, you should tell me, because I never check my locker.”

Luke’s lips curved into a little smile. He looked up and chuckled. “That so?”

“Yeah,” Grey said as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, “I got locked in one once when I was kid and could never use one again.”

He laughed again. “That’s not true!”

Grey shrugged and grinned, biting his lip. His blue eyes twinkled in the low lights of the living room. Outside it was dark and cool, with the sound of the forest singing. “So?”

Luke sighed. “It might be you.” He looked up when Grey’s hand covered his own, which were still fidgeting. “But it could be someone else, too.”

“Please don’t tell me it’s Raven,” Grey teased, “he’s awful.”

Luke laughed and pushed Grey’s shoulder with his free hand. “Shut up!” Grey caught his hand and laced their fingers together. Luke looked at his hands, caught with Grey’s. He tilted his head before looking up again. “But it’s not Raven.”

“Phew, thank God,” Grey said with a dramatic sigh. “I wouldn’t want your brother to kill him.”

Luke frowned. “Why would he do that?”

“Because you’re his little brother and he’s, you know, protective.”

“Wait, does that mean Collin would kill you?” Luke asked worriedly.

Grey tensed. “Well, we don’t know for sure if it’s me you like—“

“It is.”

“Then yeah he might want to.”

Luke squeezed Grey’s hands. “Well, I won’t let him. He doesn’t have to know that I like you. I mean, you didn’t even know I liked you. So it can just be a secret.”

Grey’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to keep a secret from your brother?”

“I don’t like to keep secrets from him,” Luke confessed, “but maybe I will with this. With you.”

It was dangerous territory, but it was also a thrill. Grey smiled. “So now that we’ve established that we like each other. We should make another decision.”

“What’s that?” Luke asked nervously. His pulse was fluttering and he squeezed Grey’s hands.

“Do we…¬ _like_ -like each other, or just like?” he asked and waggled his eyebrows.

Luke giggled. “You are such a dork.”

“I know I am,” he said. “You’re so cute.”

Luke blushed furiously. “I’m really n-not that cute.”

“You’re right, you’re a troll.”

“Hey!” 

“I always want to kiss adorable trolls.”

Luke’s heart skipped and he sucked in a little breath. “You want to kiss me?”

Grey stared at Luke’s lips, pink and surely sweet. “Quite a bit.”

Luke wished his hands were free because he wanted to bite his knuckle to snap himself back to reality. Surely this was one of his dreams. There could be no possible way that Grey could like him back. Grey was handsome and popular and amazing. Why would he like _him?_ As far as Luke was concerned, he was nothing special.

“Maybe I will kiss you?” Grey asked as he leaned in slowly.

“If-if you want to,” Luke breathed. He swallowed hard as his nerves made him tremble. Before Grey kissed him Luke squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know why. He was scared, and he didn’t know what he was doing. Lips touched his own, just for a moment, and Luke sighed.

“How was that?”

“Quick,” Luke said. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. “It was soft.”

Grey leaned in, meaning to kiss him again, when Luke’s eyes flickered to something over Grey’s shoulder. He pulled his hands away and looked over his shoulder. Raven was standing in the kitchen, holding a bottle of water and staring at the two.

Luke stood clumsily, his face crimson and his eyes wide. He glanced between the two before fleeing up to his bedroom. Grey sat there for a moment longer until Raven’s bedroom door clicked shut. He jumped up and ran to the door, knocking.

“Raven, you have to keep this quiet,” he pleaded.

At first there was silence, then the door opened and Raven stood glaring at him. “And why should I do that?”

“Come on, Raven, you know that Collin will kill me if he found out.”

Raven seemed to come to a realization and sighed. “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yes,” Grey hissed, “and if you had listened, like a good bro, then we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“Would you stop calling me that?”

“I will if you swear to not tell Collin,” Grey said, leaning in the doorway. “Please?”

Raven sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever.”

The door closed in his face and Grey ran his hands through his hair, pulling at his ponytail until it hurt. He was about to retreat to his bedroom when he heard cussing at the front door. He did his best to calm down and went out to tell Fox and Collin what had happened with the door and the windows.


	6. Curious Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like chapter five, I deleted this so I could rewrite a couple of things, so I apologize to all of you that already read it. I hope you like the changes and don't mind having to reread. Hopefully this will inspire me to move onto chapter seven. Thank you all so, so much, and keep howling xoxo

Luke didn’t know how he managed to sleep that night. As a result of the werewolf attack and Grey’s kiss, his brain had been buzzing and his stomach had been turning fretfully. After talking to his brother about the werewolves, he’d decided to stay in his bedroom with his headphones over his ears. He had planned on lying down and relaxing, but the second his head hit the pillow, he was out.

He woke to the sun shimmering through his parted curtains. The sun was bright and shining in his eyes and he yawned as he rolled over and onto his headphones, which he had taken off sometime during the night. He tossed them and his iPod onto the other pillow. He would have preferred to stay in his bed, but he needed to use the bathroom, and he remembered he hadn’t showered the night before. 

Bathroom and showering accomplished he changed into a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt and walked toward the stairs, wondering if breakfast would be ready. He paused at the top of the stairway when he saw that the door at the bottom was closed. It was too early in the morning for the air-conditioning to be running, and the night had been cool, so there was no good reason for that door to be closed.

Luke crept down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky ones, and paused, listening at the door.

“I still think we just need to go and fuck them all up,” Grey was saying.

“It’s not that easy, Grey. That would be a huge fight, and we’re outnumbered,” was Collin’s hushed reply.

“Oh, give me a break! They came in here, pissed all over our property and could have killed Luke! We can’t just continue to sit here with our tail between our fucking legs.”

“Grey,” Fox growled, “stop assuming that my tail is between my legs.”

Grey fell silent and then Raven said, “Sooner or later it will boil down to a fight. All of you saw the message they left last night. They are not going to stop coming.”

There was a moment of silence. Luke sat down on the step, heart in his throat, as he waited for someone to speak. What was this message Raven spoke of? Was this werewolf pack really coming here to force them out of their home? Where would the pack go if they had to leave? Dan and Mary certainly wouldn’t let them all move into the house. He started to get a stomachache just thinking about it.

“We’re going to have at practice fighting,” Fox said finally. “It’s easy to say that we’re all adapted to being on four paws. Hell, we might have even broken into the hunter’s headquarters to rescue Luke, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready for werewolf-to-werewolf combat.”

“What about Luke?” Grey asked suddenly.

“What about him?”

“If he could learn to Change, he could be of big help here—“

“That’s not an option, Grey,” Collin snapped. “Even if he could Change, there is no way I’d allow him into this kind of fight.”

“He’d just be a handicap,” Raven said. A low growl echoed through the door.

“Calm down, Grey,” Collin grunted. “As much as I hate to hear it, Raven is right. Luke can’t Change, and he can’t help. He’s still more human than wolf.”

“I think we’re getting off the subject,” Fox said with a heavy sigh, and Luke could imagine him rubbing at his forehead. “Collin and I need to get to the hardware store to pick up new windows and doors. Raven, can we use the truck?”

“Of course.”

There was silence and Luke waited a few minutes before pushing open the door. The front door was completely gone now, as was the kitchen window. Sunlight and the song of early birds flooded the house along with the sweet scent of morning. 

Luke saw that Raven’s truck was gone but he didn’t see anyone else. He was walking toward the open doorway when the basement door swung open and Grey stepped out carrying a box of tools and a chainsaw.

“Woah—“ Luke started.

“Oh, hey Luke,” Grey said with a bit of surprise. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept a wink last night. His hair was messy and there were bags under his blue eyes. But they brightened when they saw Luke. 

Luke swallowed, trying not to blush when he thought of last night; the chainsaw was a good distraction. “What are you doing?” he asked, reminding himself that he wasn’t supposed to have heard the conversation from a few minutes earlier.

“Fox and Collin ran to the city to pick up a window and doors and some lumber so we can rebuild the doorframe and the front porch.” He stepped out through the open doorway to front porch where he set everything down. 

Luke followed him, barefoot and careful not to step on any splinters of wood or nails. “They’re going to come back, aren’t they?”

Grey straightened up. He stared at Luke, who had stepped into the sunshine. His golden hair was nearly glowing in the sunlight and his eyes were bright with color. For a moment he forgot that Luke had asked him a question. Staring at him, all Grey could think was how beautiful Luke looked. How much he wanted to taste his lips again, and leave bites on his skin. A shiver rushed through him and went straight to his groin.

“Um—“ he coughed, clearing his throat. “Hopefully not—“

“Don’t lie to me, please,” Luke said with a little frown. He crossed his slender arms over his chest. “I’m a part of this pack, too. I deserve to know.”

Grey blinked and tilted his head. He swept his bangs out his eyes with his hand. “Yeah, I know. Yeah, they’ll be back. They’ll be back for blood.”

He swallowed hard, dropping his eyes and staring down at his toes. Luke nodded and gripped his elbows. “I feel so helpless—no, I _am_ helpless. I should be able to help, somehow. What can I do? I’m just a—a werewolf treat.”

The phrasing made Grey blush and he hoped Luke didn’t notice. Thinking about how much of a treat Luke was not what he should be focusing on. He cleared his throat again. “You aren’t helpless. You’re brave, and hey, you chased them off, remember?”

Luke scoffed. “I hit a werewolf with a bat through a door. Had he made it through the door—had they gone through the living room windows—I wouldn’t be here.”

Grey flinched, his vision going red for a moment. He bit the inside of his lip hard to snap himself back. He exhaled. “I wouldn’t let that happen to you.”

“You weren’t here,” Luke said. He held his hands up, “I’m not blaming you. I’m not putting that on any of you. It’s just me, okay? I am helpless when it comes to werewolves.”

He wanted to argue with Luke, but the boy was right. Grey rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, maybe we’ll have to work on some ways for you not to be so helpless.”

“Like what?”

“We have an old rifle in the back closet. It hasn’t been used in years and it won’t kill a werewolf, not unless you’re a fantastic shot, but it would slow one down. I’ll show you how to use it sometime, okay?”

Luke, satisfied, nodded and smile happily. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Ask away,” Luke said.

“Since we established that we like each other,” Grey said, changing the subject rather abruptly, “I was wondering if you’d want to go on a date with me?”

Luke’s lips parted in surprise, before curling into a little smile. He nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Um, what were you thinking?”

“It’s a surprise!” Grey said loudly. Excitement fluttered in his chest, and a bit of guilt tried to nudge its way in there, but it refused to acknowledge it. Their lives were all in danger, and a fight was looming on the horizon, but Grey wasn’t going to let that ruin this opportunity with Luke. He could allow himself this one little luxury, couldn’t he? 

“But until then, do you want to help me?” Grey asked with a nod to the porch. They had spent too much time talking and hadn’t done any work, and Grey knew if Fox came home and found shit undone that it would be his ass.

And he really didn’t want Fox yelling at him.

“Sure,” Luke chirped. His heart was fluttering in his chest. A date? _A real date?_ What did a person do during a date? Would there be kissing? Luke felt excitement swell up inside him, but pushed it to the side so he could focus on helping Grey.

“Better put some shoes on,” Grey suggested.

When Luke returned from pulling on his sneakers, he asked, “Um, when did you want to go out on our um, date?”

Grey glanced at him. “How about tomorrow night?”

Luke deflated slightly. “Tomorrow?”

“Don’t you work today?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh! Yeah,” Luke shook his head. “So yes. Tomorrow!”

Grey chuckled, bumping shoulders with Luke, before they set to work. They moved the porch swing down into the yard, giving them more room to work. Grey tore up parts of the porch where the invading werewolves had ripped up the paneling with their claws and even their teeth. It still smelled like urine though, and instead of peeing on it himself (which his inner werewolf wanted to do) he brought the hose around to the front and sprayed everything down.

The temperature was rising fast outside and soon they were both sweating and hot. The two went inside to try to cool off, which was difficult with the open doorway and window. Luke turned on all the fans and stood in front of one. 

Grey went to the refrigerator, pulling out a large container of iced tea, which when he almost dropped when he turned around. Luke was standing in front of the standing fan, with his shirt lifted, trying to cool off. Grey had seen Luke with his shirt off plenty of times, but it was all different now. Luke’s skin was sweaty and his hair was a mess.

“Can you pour me a glass of that, too?” Luke asked, glancing over. He frowned at the intense way Grey was looking at him. “Please?”

He gave himself a shake. “Sure thing.” 

Luke dropped his shirt, covering himself and walked into the kitchen. He accepted a tall glass of tea from Grey and took a long drink. Collin had infused it with raspberries and it tasted sweet and tart. “Do you mind driving me to work if Collin isn’t back in time?”

Grey’s vehicle was still in the city, but he saw Collin’s car keys dangling on a hook by the door. “No problem.”

…

Collin and Fox arrived home before Grey had returned from bringing Luke to work. Collin found the note on the kitchen table as he set down a box of donuts and his cappuccino from the café. “Grey ran Luke to work, he should be back shortly,” he said to Fox as he joined him outside. Together they unloaded the truck and started taking measurements and working on the new door frame.

Fox stopped to look toward the tree line. Where the hell was Raven? He was tempted to howl and call him back and force him to help with the repairs.

“Don’t call Raven in,” Collin said when he saw that Fox was staring off into the trees. “He’ll just get pissed and we’ll have to deal with him.”

“Right,” Fox said as he turned to Collin and together they set to work.

“This one will be stronger, but unless we put a dungeon door on here, we aren’t going to be able to keep determined werewolves out,” Fox said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a long drink from his bottle of water. 

“When do you think they’ll attack the house again?” Collin asked. He stepped inside to pluck two doughnuts from the pink box. One was chocolate with a fudge glaze and fresh sliced strawberries, and the second a vanilla cake with white glaze and Fruity Pebbles cereal on top. He handed Fox the vanilla one.

Fox shrugged and sat back for a moment. He had tied a bandana to his head to keep his bangs out of his face and his hair from sticking to his neck. “I don’t know. But Luke can’t be here alone when that happens. He was lucky this last time—we were all lucky. What they did,” Fox said as he waved his hand at the damage, “was a warning.” 

“Fox,” Collin said as he slowly exhaled. “What are we going to do about all this?”

Fox looked at him and then looked away. He shrugged as Collin sat down beside him. “I’m…I’m honestly not sure what to do,” Fox admitted. “I’ve never had to deal with something like this before, and I feel in over my head.”

Collin knew that Fox would only tell something like this to his mate. It would be seen as a weakness by the other wolves in the pack. If their pack was more like Serene’s, then a stronger beta would already be plotting to overthrow the alpha.

Thankfully their pack was not like that. They were a family. 

He leaned on Fox’s shoulder and took his hand. “We all feel that way,” Collin said. “We’re all angry and we’re scared. But we’ll do whatever you want us to. We’ll do whatever it takes to protect our home and each other. If that means we have to kill them, then we’ll kill them.”

Fox looked at Collin. His beautiful, loyal, moon-blessed mate. He tilted Collin’s chin up and kissed his lips. He had meant for it to be soft, but Collin pushed into it, crushing their lips together. Fox turned and tilted his head, opening his mouth to the kiss. Collin pushed his tongue inside, kissing deep, and then bit Fox’s lower lip.

Fox groaned, and his scent, earthy and primal, started to thicken in the air. He pushed Collin back by placing his hands on his shoulders. “You devil.”

Collin was panting and his cheeks were pink. He smiled innocently. “Hmm?”

He laughed before pulling the pale-haired boy closer to kiss again. It was deep, rough, and desperate. When Fox inhaled he was nearly overwhelmed by Collin’s sweet scent; it lured him closer, a soft lull that relaxed him and aroused him. All werewolves had their own unique scent; they all smelled like wolf, but there was so much more to their scent than that. Collin’s scent to Fox smelled like moonlight and dewdrops; a summer rain in the middle of the night, kissed by the moon through the clouds.

Collin bit him again and Fox growled softly, retaliating by nipping at his lips until they were pink and surely aching. But Collin loved it; he slid his tongue into Fox’s mouth, tasting him, licking him, worshiping him.

“I want to fuck you,” Fox grunted as he shoved his hand up Collin’s shirt.

“Grey will be home any minute,” Collin panted as he leaned into Fox’s chest. He was close to crawling into his lap. When Fox’s fingers pinched his nipple, he yelped.

“I don’t care,” Fox growled as he moved, kissing at Collin’s neck. He bit down. “Let him watch us fuck. Doesn’t matter to me.”

Collin moaned, nimble fingers gripping Fox’s shoulders. “Yeah but it would scar him for life,” he said with a throaty chuckle.

Fox laughed against the skin of Collin’s slender, pale neck. He placed a soft kiss over the bruise he’d left there. “Wouldn’t that be a shame?”

Collin started to giggle, then it turned over into laughter, and they were both laughing until their stomachs hurt. Collin wiped his eyes and gazed lovingly at his mate. “We’re going to make it through this, Fox. All of us. Nothing can stop a united pack.”

Closing his eyes, Fox touched his forehead to Collin’s. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I wish I had as much confidence in me as you have.”

“I’ll always believe in you,” Collin said and tilted his head to kiss him. 

Fox smiled softly. He stood up, brushing the dirt and wood shavings off his jeans. Collin stood too, looking around at the work they had done. Grey and Luke had sprayed everything down to wash away the urine smell, but Fox’s keen alpha nose could still pick up the scent, and it made him agitated.

“It still smells,” he said with a sigh.

Collin lips twitched into a mischievous smile that sparked Fox’s interest. “You know what we could do?”

“What?” 

“We could always go and piss all over their property. They think they can come here and try to mark our land as their own? Well, why can’t we do the same?”

Fox grinned. It was bold, and probably stupid, but it sounded like fun. “It’s a date.”

They were working on the kitchen window when both Grey and Raven arrived at home. Between the four of them they got the rest of the work done quickly. The porch and railing was rebuilt and the claw marks were sanded out of the floor boards. Grey brought out the hose again and washed down the porch and gathered the remains of any potted flowers that had been smashed. 

“Hey, Grey?” Collin asked as he came down from using the shower. He had pulled on clean jeans, a band t-shirt and was tying his still damp hair back in a ponytail. “I wonder if you can do me a favor and pick Luke up from work when he gets off in an hour.”

Grey looked up from where he was in the den playing video games. “Yeah, sure.”

“Fox and I have to go into the city to take care of a few things,” he said with a glimmer in his brown eyes. “We might be home a little late and I won’t have time to pick him up.”

Grey sat up. “What are you guys going to be doing?”

“Oh, nothing too terrible,” Collin hummed.

“You’re going to Serene’s aren’t you? I want to go!” he shouted as he leaped to his feet.

“No,” Collin said sternly. “This is something we need to do.”

“Why only you two?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because the alpha said so,” Fox said as he came down the stairs, also showered and changed. “Just relax; we won’t be causing any chaos without you.”

“I’m sure,” he said with a grumble. He checked the time and shrugged. “Well then I might as well get going. You two have fun without me. And I’m taking your car again, Collin.”

“Chill out, Grey,” Fox said to Grey’s back as he left. Fox shook his head, looking at Collin with a grin. “Let’s go have some fun.”

…

Grey parked Collin’s car where Luke would see it and sat with the radio on, staring off in thought. He had a bit of an idea of what Collin and Fox were going to do, and that made him irritated. He was also thinking about having kissed Luke, and found drifting more to that. Even sitting here now he found himself unable to admire any good looking person who walked by his car. Even the girls who saw him and tried to make eye contact he ignored. 

Luke left the Boulder’s store with a grocery bag and a gallon of milk. He spotted his brother’s car and headed towards it, but he saw that it wasn’t Collin sitting in the driver’s seat. He put the items in the backseat and slid into the passenger seat, pulling on his seatbelt. “Hey. Where’s Collin?”

“He and Fox had another…date,” Grey said as he started the car. “How was work?”

“It was good. Boring and all that stuff,” he said as he stretched and let his arm hang out the open window. “How was the rest of your day?”

Grey smiled. “We got the new doors and windows in. That’s about it.”

“Ah, very exciting,” he said. Collin always kept extra pairs of sunglasses in the glove compartment and he selected a pair to wear. He glanced at Grey, who was wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses, along with union jack shirt and skinny jeans. He smiled.

“So did you eat at work? Do you want to stop and get something?”

Luke shrugged. “I’m pretty hungry, but we can eat at home.”

Grey smiled. “How about a picnic at the Ridge?”

Luke tilted his head. “The Ridge?”

“You’ve never been out there, have you?” Grey realized with a glance at Luke. “Oh, we’re definitely going on a picnic now!”

Luke tapped his foot nervously the entire drive home. Anxiety rushed through him, but it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. He looked forward to spending time with Grey, and they would be alone unless Raven stumbled across them on one of his runs. He was looking forward to discovering more of the forest around the pack house. He and Collin had gone on lots of hikes, and had spent lots of time at the hidden Blue Pool, but that had been about it. Luke wanted to see more, he wanted to know the forest like the rest of the pack did, so if he wanted to venture out onto a hike he could do it without getting horribly lost.

When they reached the pack house Luke went to change into fresh clothes and Grey stayed down in the kitchen to pack them a picnic. Luke fretted nervously in front of the mirror for a second. He wanted to do something with his hair. He tried to comb it up like Collin had shown him, but he just ended up looking stupid. He smelled under his arm, convinced he must stink after working all day, but all he smelled was his deodorant. Should he apply more? Werewolves had sensitive noses, would Grey notice?

He whined and paced back and forth before he threw up his hands. He tugged on jean shorts, a t-shirt and his hiking boots. He rushed down the stairs to the kitchen where Grey had changed into similar clothing, which was more suitable for hiking, and was standing with a backpack on one shoulder.

Grey smiled. “You ready?”

Luke hiccupped. “Yeah.”

They exited the house and crossed the yard, going North. Unlike the walk to the Blue Pool there was no trail to follow here. Luke started to worry that he would tire out before they reached the Ridge. It was still hot and he was already feeling worn down from working all day. Thankfully Grey had packed several bottles of water and handed one to Luke when he noticed he was sweating.

“How long of a walk is it?” Luke asked as he gratefully chugged the water.

“It’s going to seem pretty long since we’re on two feet,” Grey said. 

Luke looked behind them into the dense trees. “Is this safe?”

“Of course it is,” Grey answered. “Why would you think it isn’t?”

“Normally I wouldn’t ask, but with this whole thing with that other pack…”

Grey didn’t let his hesitation show. Shit, he hadn’t thought of that. He tilted his face to the sky and sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything,” he said. “I’d know if they were around. And Raven is out here somewhere, he’d chase them off before we’d even know they were here.” 

Luke nodded nervously and hesitated, before he reached out and taking Grey’s hand. The older boy seemed surprised before he smiled softly and raised Luke’s hand to his lips, and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Grey said warmly, “I promise.” 

“So, is this like, a date?” Luke asked as they walked.

He chuckled. “I guess it is a date. We’ll just have to have two in a row.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Luke said with a blush. “Collin and Fox always go on dates.” Then Luke remembered what they did on dates, and his blush turned his entire face red. “N-not that we’re going to do wh-what they do! Not that I know what t-they do!”

Grey started to laugh and had to stop walking. “Oh, we all know what they do on their dates! You can relax, darling.”

Darling. Luke blinked at him, tempted to step forward, maybe kiss him, but the butterflies in his stomach were too much. He smiled and squeezed Grey’s hand, and then they were walking again, carefully picking their way through the thick undergrowth.

Luke couldn’t help but think this would be so much easier on four paws.

After a couple miles the ground suddenly turned to rock and they were stepping out of the tree line and onto a rocky outcrop. The ground was solid grey stone with several large boulders scattered around. The outcrop overlooked Geode Lake, which was the small spill-off for Crystal Lake. This area was marked as private property, and most humans steered clear. Geode Lake wasn’t large enough for boating or water-skiing; the beach was mostly rocky and the fish were smaller.

Luke walked to the edge of the rock and looked down, down, down, heart pounding in his chest. The lake was surrounded by tall pine trees which were captured in the water’s reflection. To one side was a beach, from here it looked like white sand but Luke wondered if was fine pebbles and rock slabs. Luke could see a group of elk around the lake, does grazing while their fawns ran along the water’s edge. And there was so much green! The rolling hills were covered in green, thousands and thousands of ancient trees. Beyond the foothills were the shades of mountains, so far away they were hard to see, but they cut an undeniable silhouette across the sky.

Luke turned, looking around the outcrop. Other than several boulders larger than cars, there wasn’t much else here, but it was beautiful none-the-less. He turned to Grey, who was sitting on one of the smaller rocks and watching him with a grin.

“This place is unbelievable,” Luke said, jumping when his voice echoed. He laughed and took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt a shiver rush up his spine. He felt the unbelievable urge to run, jump and play. He wanted to act like a wolf even though he couldn’t become a wolf. 

Grey stood suddenly and walked to Luke. “Tag!” he shouted. He poked Luke’s shoulder and turned on his heel, running away.

“Hey! Not fair!” Luke shouted, and darted after the other boy. 

They ran across the rock, climbed over boulders and ran through the forest, always circling back to the Ridge. They ran, tagging each other back and forth, until Grey’s shirt was soaked with sweat and Luke’s hair was sticking up every which way and he was panting loudly. 

Grey paused behind a tree, listening to Luke’s steps. There was a light breeze and it carried Luke’s scent straight to Grey, who felt a rush up his spine. Luke smelled sweet mixed with something that was wild and buried deep. Grey wanted to bury his nose in Luke’s neck and breathe deep—

So caught in Luke’s scent, he didn’t notice the boy prowling behind him. Luke’s hand slapped down on his shoulder and the boy ran off with a laugh.

Grey let a playful growl rumble from his chest. “Oh, you’re dead!”

“I’m not in good enough shape for this!” Luke yelled as he tried to dodge Grey’s hand. They stumbled around, tripping over ferns and fallen branches, until Luke threw his hands up.

“I give up! I’m done! Pretty sure I’m about to die!”

They returned to the Ridge, which was currently cast in shadows from the clouds overhead and the tall trees behind them, and collapsed on the ground.

A bottle of water was pushed his way and Luke sat up and gratefully accepted it, twisting off the lid and taking a long desperate drink. He leaned back on his hands, letting the breeze comb through his damp hair and rustle his shirt.

“That was fun,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah it was,” Grey said. “It’ll be even more fun when you can Change.”

Luke pulled his legs close, sitting with them crossed. He pulled off his shoes and his socks, setting them to the side. Grey had his backpack sitting in front of him and was pulling out the picnic he had packed. Luke had almost forgotten he was hungry.

“You put all that together while I was changing my clothes?” Luke asked, impressed.

“It’s really nothing much,” he said. There were roast beef and pepper jack cheese sandwiches, a bag of potato chips for them to share, grapes and strawberries mixed together with pineapple chunks, and oatmeal raisin cookies from a bakery in the city that Grey had bought earlier. 

“Looks pretty perfect to me,” Luke said with a little shrug.

They ate in silence. Luke found his attention caught once again by the landscape stretched out in front of him. Clouds moved slowly across the sky. He could hear the distant echo of geese on the lake far below them. The elk were gone now. He saw a hawk drop down from the trees and into a thicket of grass.

Luke was reaching for a cookie when he realized that Grey was staring at him. He paused and felt a blush warm his neck and his cheeks. He swallowed hard. “Um, what are you thinking about?” he asked softly.

Grey opened his mouth to answer, but the words didn’t spill out. In his head they were bouncing off the walls of his brain; inside he was all but screaming. _“I was thinking of what it’ll be like to run with you in the moonlight. To sing with you and hear your voice when you howl with your wolf-lungs. That I want to lay my kill at your feet. I want to run with you in fur, and lay with you in skin. That you make the animal inside me feel…alive. Protective. Possessive. That you frighten me because the wolf inside me feels so much towards you that I don’t know if I can contain it. I want to devour you, and be devoured by you. I want to see you when you hunt, and bathe in blood with you. I want you to bear the scar of my bite, and I want your claw marks forever fresh on my back.”_

In retrospect, it was probably best that Grey, for once, did not let his mouth run away with him. They weren’t even really dating yet, were they? They weren’t boyfriends yet. They had admitted they liked each other. But that didn’t mean he could go confessing his feelings. Which confused and frightened him.

Luke tilted his head when Grey didn’t answer right away, making Grey stutter in an effort to answer. “Uh,” he said, “I was just thinking that you’re just…lovely.”

Blood rushed up through Luke’s face and he bit his lip. “Oh.” His voice was soft.

“And you make me feel very…much,” Grey said. He really hoped he didn’t start to babble.

“Feel…what?” Luke asked quietly.

Grey stuffed a cookie in his mouth to give himself a minute to think. But unless he selfishly ate the entire bag, along with the rest of the fruit, he was going to have to come up with a non-crazy answer. Unfortunately, his brain didn’t work that way.

“You make the wolf inside me come to life,” Grey said. “I’m not used to the feeling.”

Luke tilted his head again. “Why not?”

Grey took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “I’m not like the others,” he explained, “Raven and Collin, they’re very connected to the monsters inside them. On a spiritual level. Fox is alpha; the wolf inside him is very strong, very close to the surface. But I’ve always…been more subdued. I’ve always been a little scared of what’s inside me.”

Luke blinked rapidly. “You said I bring out the wolf? Is that bad?”

“No! Not at all—or I don’t think so,” Grey tried to explain, “It’s not a bad thing. The creature, the wolf, it just…notices you. It likes you, I think.”

He smiled softly. “I don’t remember most of what happened to me when the hunters took me. I’ve blocked a lot of it out and it faded away. But the thing I remember the most is a big grey werewolf standing over me with blue eyes. I remember that when I saw those blue eyes I felt suddenly safe. I knew that I was going to be okay.”

Grey’s lips parted. “I didn’t know that…you remembered me.”

“I didn’t at first,” Luke admitted. “It came to me in a dream, and little pieces come to mind sometimes. I thought it _was_ a dream at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was real. And when I looked into your eyes, I didn’t see a monster or a creature. I saw you.”

Grey felt warmth prickling across his skin and his heart fluttering in his chest. He moved closer to Luke, so they were sitting directly across from each other, not even inches apart, and reached for his hand. 

Luke slid his hand into the other boy’s. Grey’s hand was bigger, rougher. He did a lot of work outdoors and his hands were tanned and his nails short and broken. Luke ran his fingers over Grey’s knuckles, over the wolf ring he always wore. His fingers slowly slid up Grey’s arm, over the veins and his skin, darkly tanned from the sun.

“Hey,” Grey whispered. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Luke tilted his head, his lips parted. With nervousness fluttering though his limbs, making him anxious and almost wired and wanting to run, Grey touched their lips.

It was soft and quick, like last time, but Luke wanted more. He leaned in after Grey pulled away, kissing him again. He closed his eyes tight, his lips were tense and pursed, and he was squeezing Grey’s hand like a vice.

Grey laughed warmly and nuzzled his nose against Luke’s. “Calm down,” he said, voice still quiet. “Just relax. Don’t focus so much on it.”

“But I don’t know how to kiss,” Luke said softly.

“I’ll teach you.”


	7. Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you all for your patience and all the kudos xoxo

“Shit, we really do have it lucky,” Collin said as he and Fox walked down the street. They were in the North side of the city. The apartment buildings were old and falling to pieces, warehouses were long closed and inhabited by many questionable people. Across from the warehouses were rundown houses with boarded up windows and lawns that looked that junkyards. They followed an easy trail to one particular house, a larger two-story with broken down cars in the driveway and trash littering the yard.

The entire house smelled like werewolf piss, but there didn’t appear to be anyone home.

“Where do you think they are?” Collin asked as they stood across the street, hidden in an alley.

“If they aren’t inside sleeping, then they’re probably just out for the day,” Fox said with a glance at his watch. Something like this would have been easier to do in the night.

Fox looked around and then the two slipped behind an abandoned car and Changed into their wolf fur. Fox glanced at Collin as he fell forward onto his hands, the sound of ripping skin and crunching bones filled his ears. Fur sprouted through skin and clothing, and the werewolf magic ripped through him, horrible, bloody, and beautiful.

Fox closed his eyes as the Change rushed through him, until he was no longer a boy, but a wolf. He shook out his fur and tested his ears, tail and four strong legs. His paws scraped on the concrete and his nose was assaulted by the stench of the dumpsters nearby. He sniffed and snorted, rubbing his nose against the fur of his front leg. His wolf body was strong and fit; he wasn’t a fully grown werewolf yet, but he was healthy and the blood of the alpha rushed through him like a fire. He wanted to howl, wanted to rub his scent into everything around them.

A slender, warm body nudged against him and he turned his attention to the white wolf. Collin looked so out of place in this dungy, dark alley. He was solid white, his fur glowing in the low light of the cloudy day. His eyes were dark brown, his nose black, and his fur tipped in moonlight. When they were home, away from the pollution of the city, and ran in the sun, Collin’s fur almost seemed translucent. All the colors of the universe captured in the soft strands of his white fur.

The white wolf flicked his ears and knocked his head against the brown wolf’s shoulder. Fox pushed him back and licked across his face.

Let’s get this done, he said, before they come back.

Glad I drank all that tea earlier, Collin said with a low chuckle. He stepped around Fox, peering around and scenting the air, making sure they were alone. Then, when the shadows were the deepest from the clouds above, they ran across the road.

Fox prowled around the house once, leaping over the old chain-link fence and stepping around cans and broken bottles. The grass had never been mowed and was tall and heavy with weeds and thistles. Fox avoided these, not wanting to take the time to pick the barbs from his fur or paws later.

Once he decided that no one was home, they started to circle the house, pissing on everything they could to mark their territory. Even the front door. Fox rubbed against the car on the street, gnawed on the railing leading to the front door; scratched at the wooden siding of the house with his front claws, spreading the heavy scent from the glands in his paws. 

There would be no mistaking who had been here.

Collin let out a low woof of satisfaction and nudged against the brown alpha wolf. Job well done, they rushed back to the alley where they could Change, and head home. 

…

Collin called ahead, telling Grey that they were bringing pizza home and not to make supper that night. The rest of the pack was there waiting when they arrived. Luke was stretched out on the sofa, watching as Grey and Raven played an old Nintendo 64 game.

“Your ass is mine!” Grey yelled as he furiously hit the buttons on the controller.

“You’ve already lost three times,” Luke said from the sofa, “you—“

“Silence! I will win this round!” Grey said as he leaned forward, focused on the television, just as Raven’s character came out from behind a doorway and blew him away with a grenade launcher.

Grey’s yell was interrupted by Fox announcing they were home with food.

Luke was still getting used to the pack eating multiple meals a day. It was late and dark outside, and he and Grey had eaten just a couple hours ago, but hell, he wasn’t going to say no to pizza and breadsticks! He sprang off the couch.

“So what did you two do today?” Grey asked as the pack settled around the table in the kitchen. His plate was heaped with pizza and salad and breadsticks. He was feeling famished from his walk in the woods and make-out session with Luke.

Thinking about Luke’s lips on his own nearly had him choking on his drink.

Fox and Collin exchanged looks and shrugged. “Oh, we just had ourselves a little fun.” 

“What counts as fun?” Raven asked as he reached for a slice of pizza.

“We pissed all over their property,” Fox said.

“Are they going to be mad?” Luke asked worriedly. He was sitting next to Grey, and when their knees touched he felt his heart skip a little beat.

Collin shrugged. “Let them be mad.”

“Someone needs to be home all the time though, other than Luke,” Fox said between bites of food. “They’ll be coming back, and we’re not going to get caught off-guard again. Raven, continue patrolling like you usually do.”

“I’ll go out in the night more often,” he said. “I doubt they’ll come in the day.”

“Do you think that’s safe?” Grey asked.

Raven glared at him. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t think anything is safe anymore,” Fox interrupted. “But we know these woods better than they do. Raven knows them better than the rest of us do, I’d bet. I’m not worried about him.”

Raven nodded and said to Grey, “This is our home, remember?”

“I wasn’t questioning you,” Grey said. “I just would hate for you to, you know, get killed out in the woods. We’ve such a bond and someday I’ll win over your eternal love.”

Raven’s lips pursed and he scowled at Grey. Collin was snickering and Fox was trying his best to hold back his laughter. Luke just looked worried for Grey.

…

**Grey (3:53pm)** _I’m going to be leaving work soon to pick you up._

**Luke (3:53pm)** _Okay! Do I need to dress up or anything?_

**Grey (3:55pm)** _LOL no. Just dress normal :)_

**Luke (3:56pm)** _Okay. See u soon._

Luke paced his bedroom. Grey and the others would be home soon. It had been a scorching hot day, the sun had been merciless and the sky clear of clouds. Luke had been fretting all day, nervous and excited, and had thrown all his energy into cleaning the house. He had done all the laundry, even folded everyone’s clothing and placed the folded clothes on their beds. He had vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom and the inside of the refrigerator.

Thankfully Collin had been in his room most of the day, working on some art projects for Vandina and Verum who were going through tattoo school, and hadn’t noticed Luke’s nervous energy.

He fussed with his hair and dug through his clothes, but Luke didn’t have a huge variety of clothing. In the end he decided that since he didn’t need to dress nice, and it was hotter than hell outside, to wear frayed jean shorts and the black t-shirt he had bought that day with Collin, with the gold sequin skull on the front. He slipped a couple black beaded and leather bracelets on, grabbed his leather sandals and headed downstairs.

When the three came home they went straight for the showers. Grey winked at Luke and darted around Raven, who growled at him, to get to the downstairs shower first. Luke sat patiently, tapping his bare feet on the carpet and staring at the empty coffee table in front of him.

About twenty minutes later Grey, freshly showered and in a change of clothes, walked up the hallway and to the living room where Luke was waiting. “Hey,” he said warmly.

Luke looked up and sprang to his feet with a blush. “Hi.”

“Are you ready?” Grey asked.

Luke twisted his hands together. “Yeah. I should tell my brother—?”

“Me and Luke are going into town!” Grey called loudly up the stairs. “We’ll be back whenever!”

“Okay!” 

Grey turned to Luke and grinned. “Let’s go!”

Outside it was blistering hot, but it barely registered to Luke. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was feeling a little light-headed. He slid into the passenger seat of Grey’s car and clipped on the seatbelt. He stared down at his hands, twisting them together.

Grey laughed softly. “Are you nervous?”

“Hm? No,” he lied badly. He looked up as a black wolf ran across the yard and into the trees, disappearing. “Isn’t all that fur hot?”

Grey shrugged. “Yes and no. Running a lot generates a lot of heat, but you cool off pretty quick once you hit the shade or some water.” He started the car, turning on the AC and turning down the radio, which had been screaming loud music.

“I hope you’re ready,” he teased.

Luke looked up, lavender eyes wide and a pink blush on his cheeks. “Um? Yes?”

He laughed again and reached over, taking Luke’s hand, as he turned the car around and headed down the long gravel lane to the road that would take them to the main road. Luke looked down at their hands. Grey’s was bigger, tanner, and rougher from hard work. Luke’s own were more delicate and, while his skin held more of a tan than Collin’s, he was looked rather pale with his flesh against Grey’s.

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, focusing his breathing. He needed to chill.

“So where are we going?” he asked as they merged onto the interstate, heading to the city.

“You want me to spoil the surprise?”

Luke tugged on Grey’s hand. “I don’t know. I don’t like surprises that much.”

“It’s nothing scary,” Grey said. He brought Luke’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “I promise.”

“Depends on what you find scary,” Luke said. He knew what Collin and Fox did on their dates. Certainly this wasn’t going to be like that, right? Grey didn’t expect sex from him, did he? Suddenly Luke’s pulse was racing. He liked kissing Grey, but sex? He was not ready for that. 

“Woah,” Grey said, glancing worriedly at Luke. He could feel the boy’s pulse racing in his wrist and could smell his nervous sweat. “You okay? What’s wrong?”

“I’m just nervous,” he said heavily.

“We’re going to the new aquarium.”

Luke blinked, looking at Grey. “What?”

“You know, the Pitt Aquarium that opened on the other side of town? It went through a huge remodel and opened a month or so ago. I’ve been dying to go.”

“We’re—we’re going to the aquarium?” Luke repeated. His face lit up. “I’ve been wanting to go!”

Grey smiled when Luke’s nervousness seemed to melt away. He didn’t know what had scared the boy so much, but he was glad it was gone, for now. He was going to have to do things slowly with Luke, he knew that much. He squeezed his hand. “Me too.”

…

The Pitt Aquarium was busy, even for this time of day, but Luke didn’t care. They paid for parking and walked up the dozens of stairs to the front door and waited in line. Grey had purchased their tickets ahead of time, so they went through the ticket holder’s line, got their hands stamped, and were permitted inside.

The inside lobby was huge and open, with a dome ceiling that had a pair of life-sized humpback whales hanging down. Luke stood in awe, staring up before looking around. There was a huge, cylinder-shaped saltwater aquarium at the center of the lobby, with benches all around it. Luke stepped up to the glass, tilting his head back to look up. Inside it was filled with crystal clear water and colorful coral and even more colorful fish. 

Grey stepped up to Luke, smiling softly. “Pretty amazing, huh?”

“Yeah,” Luke said. He shook his head, watching as little fish flitted in the water. “Collin would love this. He loves everything with color.”

“Maybe I’ll mention it to Fox,” Grey said. “Do you want to sit down for a while?”

Luke looked away from the aquarium. “No, I want to see what else there is,” he said.

Grey reached out, taking Luke’s hand slowly, because if Luke didn’t want to hold hands in public, he wasn’t going to force him. To his joy though, Luke laced their fingers together and closed the distance between them. “Let’s go then.”

Upon leaving the lobby they walked straight into a tunnel, surrounded all around by water. Luke stopped to stare up as sharks swam over their heads. The tunnel was long and curved, and dimly lit. The water was filled with different kinds of large sharks, schools of bright colorful fish, larger solitary fish, sea turtles and string-rays. Luke leaned on the railing and watched in amazement as a large sand tiger shark slowly swam by.

“Wow,” Luke gasped, “look at all those teeth.”

Grey leaned next to Luke. He knew he should be paying attention to the sharks, to the beauty of the tunnel; the pleasing aesthetics of rock and coral and caves for the fish to hide in, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Luke’s face. His lavender eyes were wide in wonderment and his lips were parted. Grey reached for his cell phone and snapped a quick photo.

Luke caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced at the other boy. “Did you just take my picture?”

“Maybe I did,” Grey said as he extended one arm, “Selfie?”

Luke shrugged and leaned against Grey, who put his arm around him. They smiled into the camera and Grey snapped a picture. Before Luke could lean away, Grey took another one while stealing a kiss.

“You sly dog,” Luke laughed as his ears turned red and his cheeks flared pink.

“I am quite sly,” Grey said as he let Luke lean away. “I’m not very good at not giving into temptation.”

“I tempt you?” Luke asked.

“Oh,” Grey said, voice slightly rough, “quite a bit.”

Luke opened his mouth to reply when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He frowned, fishing it out, and saw it was a text from Collin.

“I swear, he’s like my mom sometimes,” Luke said as he ran his hand through his blond hair, messing it up. “Wants to know where I am, what we’re doing.”

Grey laughed. “What are you going to tell him?”

“Well, I could tell him that we’re at a strip club, or that I’m on a date with you, I think he’d find both of them preposterous,” he said with a little grin. 

Grey slipped his arm around Luke’s shoulder and nuzzled his face into his neck. Luke blushed and leaned his weight against the other boy as he sent a text back to his brother, telling him that he and Grey were at the aquarium. He left out of the part about the date.

“Okay,” Luke said as he released a shaky breath. Grey’s scent was heavy and rich, warm and inviting, and Luke wanted to curl up with him under a pile of blankets and stay with him forever. It was strange, feeling such a desire to be close. Luke had never been much of a contact person. He and Collin had shared a bed a lot, but it was mostly because of Luke’s nightmares and sometimes because of Collin’s, whenever he was having a bad day, but he’d never felt a desire to just cuddle up with someone, in their arms, and never leave.

Grey was making him feel a great deal of things. 

…

It was late when they returned home that night. After the aquarium they stopped for ice cream at Grey’s favorite gourmet ice cream parlor. Next they drove around for hours, listening to music and talking; holding hands and kissing at stop lights. They stopped at a twenty-four-hour grocery mart for more snacks on their way home, and Luke was still munching happily on a bag of peanut butter M&Ms when they pulled up the driveway. The lights were on in the house, and Luke saw a pair of eyes watching them from the trees.

“Is that Raven?” he asked.

Grey glanced through the window. “Yup. He must be just coming home, too.”

Relieved, Luke slipped from the car and paused to adjust his shirt. They hadn’t done much, but they had done enough that he felt a bit rumpled. Grey’s hands had been in his hair, on his shirt, up his back. They had kissed with lips and tongue, deep and chaste; it didn’t matter which to Luke. He just wanted Grey’s lips on him, all the time.

“H-how do I look?” he asked nervously.

“Like you’ve been sucking face,” Raven said as he walked from the shadows, human again. He was wearing only dark blue shorts. His black hair, long and straight, hung down his back. His blue eyes held a wild look from the shift from wolf to man.

Luke blushed furiously. “Seriously?!”

“Bite me,” Grey said, wrinkling his nose. “It doesn’t look like that at all.”

“You two are the worst liars,” Raven said, “If you don’t want to get caught, you need to be a bit more careful.”

“It’s not like we had sex,” Grey said, his blue eyes darting to Luke. The boy’s lips were pink and swollen from deep kisses, and he was blushing. There was a little mark on his neck when Grey got carried away, but it wasn’t noticeable unless you were looking for it. He blushed and ground his heel into the gravel of the driveway. “We just, you know.”

“Yes, I know,” Raven said. When Luke offered him some M&Ms Raven cupped his hand and gladly accepted. He popped the handful in his mouth. 

Grey tilted his head, a little wrinkle forming between his eyes. “Are you worried about me?”

Raven scoffed. “Definitely not,” he snapped and turned on his heel, heading for the house.

“Aw, you are worried! You love me, I knew it.”

“Fuck off, Grey.”

“You always make him mad,” Luke said with a little twist of his mouth.

Grey grinned and shrugged. “It’s only fair. He picks on me during the Moon, so I piss him off the rest of the month.” He touched Luke’s lower lip and leaned down. He wanted to kiss him, taking that soft pink lip between his teeth and bite it. But Raven was right, they were both bad liars, and they were currently _in front of the fucking house._

“You need some self-control,” Luke said with a laugh as he stepped away and headed for the house. 

…

It had been over a week and they hadn’t seen nor heard anything from Serene’s pack. Fox had stopped several times at The Golden Tooth but the pack hadn’t been seen there either. Fox was unnerved, knowing that sooner or later something was going to happen. He was growing tense and snappy, and Collin was having problems keeping him in line; especially when he came home drunk. A drunken Fox was not easy to deal with.

Luke was almost glad to be at work that night. He and Grey hadn’t taken any chances being together with the pack home in the evenings, and during the day they were gone into the city working. With tension so high Luke didn’t want to risk getting caught. Grey was the omega of the pack, and Luke didn’t want to see him hurt because of their relationship.

It was nearly ten at night when Luke was finishing up his seven-hour shift. He went around the store emptying all the trashcans and then told his supervisor he was taking the bags to the dumpsters in the back of the building near the loading docks. 

“You can punch out when you’re done with that, Luke, thanks,” his supervisor said.

Luke went through the back of the building, through the massive storage room and out the back door. He noticed straight away that the security light was still burned out, casting the area in murky shadows. There was a six-foot fence around the entire area, blocking the view of the dumpsters from the street. It smelled horrible, too. It was a muggy night and the overflowing dumpsters were filled with various trashes, a lot of which had been torn into by raccoons and stray cats. Luke wrinkled his nose and started down the ramp and across the lot.

After throwing the bags into the least objectionable bins he turned, wiping his hands on his apron and again wrinkling his nose at the smell. His werewolf sense might not be blossoming yet, but he could smell everything here pretty damn well.

He was walking across the shadows when he saw one move. Luke stopped, frozen in his tracks, as a pair of white eyes watched him. It was too big to be a cat or a dog. Luke knew very well what it was. 

If he yelled, no one would hear him. The parking lot was on the other side of the building and there were no houses out here, just an open lot scattered with trees. He felt a tremble rush up his back and he stepped away.

The wolf walked forward as the clouds parted and the moon shined down. Silver light lit the tips of the werewolf’s shaggy rusty brown fur. Its eyes lit up, glowing, and the light shined off the wolf’s bared teeth.

“You’re with Serene’s pack, aren’t you?” Luke asked, his voice quivering. The wolf snorted before bearing its teeth completely, lips pulled back in a horrible smile. “If-if-if you go now, I won’t hurt you. And if you hurt me—my pack will kill you.”

There was a low snarl behind him and Luke stumbled as he turned around. Two more wolves emerged from the shadows, equally as large as the first one. 

Luke felt like a rabbit. His heart was hammering in his chest and his breath was coming in short pants. He swallowed hard and squeezed his hands into fists to try to quell his trembling. He needed to run, had to run, but if he ran—they would hunt him.

Or they would kill him right here.

Either way, he was fucked. 

Luke took a sharp breath, turned on his heel, and ran. The three wolves leaped at him and Luke dropped to his knees, yelping at the shock of hitting the pavement, and let the wolves impact each other. He scrambled back onto his feet and ran for a hole in the fencing.

He squeezed through as one of the wolves hit the fence, shoving its head through the hole he had just passed through. Luke ran through the field of grass and scattered trees as the moon was again hidden by the clouds. Shadows grew deep and the sound of wolves grew louder.

Luke tried to stop before he hit a figure rising from the darkness in front of him. His foot caught in the grass and he fell, stopping short of the bipedal werewolf. It was seven-feet tall and heavy with fur and muscle. Its eyes glowed red in the night and the curve of its long claws caught in the light, glinting.

The werewolf snarled and Luke could feel the vibrations in his chest. Gasping he stumbled to his feet, staring up at the monster in front of him. This had to be Serene. The other three wolves were skulking nearby, tails tucked between their ears and ears flat and teeth bared. They were submissive to their alpha, but Luke knew their blood was boiling.

“You won’t get away with this,” Luke said, voice trembling as he tried to push past the fear. He lifted his chin and shook his head. “They’ll come. You’ll die.”

The werewolf grinned, peeling back its lips to reveal massive teeth. The werewolf leaned down so its head was even with Luke’s and let out a roar. However, Luke refused to move. Despite the fear coursing through him, Luke bared his own teeth and growled back.

The werewolf’s hand came up and Luke raised his arms to defend himself. The impact had him flying through the air and into the dirt. A wolf landed on his back, teeth ripping through his shirt and biting into his shoulder. Luke cried out, voice breaking into a scream, and tried to buck the wolf off. A second wolf ran at him and Luke pushed back as it hit them. The two wolves rolled off him and Luke jerkily stumbled to his feet and ran a few yards before a wolf grabbed his leg.

Luke hit the ground again and rolled over, kicking at the wolf’s face. The wolf snapped back, teeth stained with blood, when Luke kicked it in the eye.

“Fuck off!” Luke yelled. Behind the two wolves he could see the third wolf, standing and waiting, and behind him, the alpha werewolf. He was still bipedal and was watching with a horrifying, amused expression. Luke spit blood at the wolf circling him.

Tears ran down his face. The pain radiating from his shoulder and leg was bright and made him want to vomit. He scooted back on his butt, trying to put some distance between the two wolves, who were circling him. They would snap at him, tearing at his clothes and nipping at his skin with their sharp teeth. The ground was wet with his blood and Luke was starting to feel light-headed.

“If you’re going to kill me,” he yelled in a hoarse voice, “then fucking do it!”

The alpha wolf seemed to laugh, his growling huffs echoing in the night. Luke was trying to push to his feet when a flash of white caught the attention of the four wolves and himself. He gasped, followed by a sob.

_Collin._

The white wolf lunged at the alpha wolf, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. Blood sprayed as the white wolf knocked his way through the other three wolves. Luke had pushed to his feet by this time and looked behind him and saw Collin’s car sitting on the other side of the lot, separated by the chain-link fence.

He started to run, but the pain was so bad he stumbled with every step. He could hear huffing, snarling and growling behind him, before a large white wolf was at his side. Luke stared at his brother, his white fur was wet with blood and he was limping.

The white wolf nudged him gently and Luke knew he had to run faster. He pushed past the pain and ignored out the sounds around him. The blood rushed through his ears and all he could hear was his pounding heart.

He ran through the gaping tear in the fence that Collin had clearly made, there was white wolf hair caught on the links. The driver’s side door of Collin’s old, battered red car was open and Luke stopped to open the back door for the white wolf, who leaped inside, and then he jumped into the driver’s seat.

Luke wasn’t the best at driving. He had a short attention span and got lost easily. But he knew how to drive, and thanks to his brother, he knew how to drive fast and reckless.

He peeled off the curb as the three wolves reached them. He stepped on the gas and hit one, wincing as Collin’s car crunched and the wolf bounced off the bumper and into the street. He didn’t relax the gas until Collin’s hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Ouch!” Luke cried out and jerked the wheel. They were going too fast and he nearly steered them into a light post.

“Stop the car!” Collin shouted. “Luke—stop! We lost them, I swear.”

They were in a quiet neighborhood; Luke hadn’t seen another car this entire time, so he slammed the breaks and stopped in the middle of the street. He pushed the car door open and fell out, vomiting on the ground.

He heard the back door open and close and suddenly Collin was at his side. “Jesus—fuck, Luke. You’re—okay. We need to get you back inside. We need to get home.”

“I’m okay,” he said as he sobbed. He shook his head. “Why-why-why does this keep happening to me? Did I get cursed somehow? Why is it always me?”

“This is going to hurt, I’m sorry,” Collin said as he grabbed Luke and lifted him and shoved him into the car. Luke slid across the driver’s seat and collapsed into the passenger seat as sobs racked his body. 

“Wait—where are your clothes?” Luke asked, blinking at his very naked brother.

“Goddammit,” Collin said as a flush lit his face. He reached into the back seat for a blanket and wrapped himself up before falling into the seat. “I shredded my clothing. Thankfully—“ he reached down onto the floor—“I tossed my wallet and cellphone on the floor before it happened.”

He sent a quick text to Fox, telling him that Luke was attacked and hurt. Collin had a few scratches on his leg but he had mostly healed when he Changed back. Luke was the one bleeding all over.

Collin punched the gas and found his way out of the unfamiliar neighborhood and back to the main street that would take them out of the city. He glanced at Luke, who was quiet, and holding his shoulder with one hand, and his leg with the other.

“How bad is it?”

“I’m a chew toy, how bad do you think it is?”

“We’ll be there quickly.”

“Don’t get pulled over,” Luke said as he gasped with pain, “we’ll never be able to explain the situation.”

Collin checked his mirrors. “Glad to know you have enough energy to be a smart-ass.”

Luke scooted closer to his brother, who put his arm around him. Luke closed his eyes and pressed his face into Collin’s chest as he cried. Collin’s warm, familiar scent comforted him. His brother’s scent was soft and warm, like vanilla and warm summer nights. It was soothing.

“Hey,” Collin said, glancing down at the boy. “Luke?”

“’m still alive,” he murmured, “It just hurts so much I want to die.”

Collin sighed shakily and placed a kiss on Luke’s soft, sunny-blond hair. “Don’t you dare die,” he said, “If you ever left me, I’d—never be able to handle it.”

The pack was waiting in the yard when they reached home. Luke opened his eyes just as Fox crawled into the passenger seat and, gently as possible, pulled him out. Luke cried out, pain racking his body. “That hurts,” he whined.

“I know, I know,” Fox said as he carried Luke into the house with the rest of the pack following behind him. He laid Luke down on the kitchen floor and took a second to look at him. He had two major bites, one on his shoulder and one on his leg. He had smaller bites all over him though. _They were playing with him. Like a toy._

Fox heard a snarl of pain and a gasp and turned just as Grey collapsed on the floor, the Change ripping through him violently. Collin jumped to the side to avoid the chaos as Raven flung from the front door open. The grey wolf ran out the door.

Collin shook his head, hand pressed against his chest where his heart was pounding. He shook his head and rushed to Luke, who had passed out. It made stripping him of his clothing and cleaning and tending his wounds easier. The bites on his calf and shoulder needed some stitches, and Collin did the best he could. When they finished Fox picked Luke up, ready to move him to his bedroom.

The front door snapped open and closed when Raven stepped outside. Grey was sitting on the porch, still in his wolf fur, staring at the house. He snorted when he saw Raven before squaring his ears. His body was trembling; he was still too worked up to shift back into his human skin. He wanted to hunt, wanted to kill, but he couldn’t leave the house. Luke was in there, hurt. He should be in there—

Raven’s low growl caught his attention. “Look there,” Raven hissed as he nodded toward the trees. Grey looked over the railing of the porch. It took him a second to see the shadowy figure in the trees, the moonlight just barely brushing the tips of its ears. “We have a spy.”

The grey wolf showed his teeth and shook his head, hackles rising. He waited as Raven kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt before falling forward, landing gracefully in his wolf fur, Change complete. The two wolves exchanged looks before darting off the porch and into the yard. The sky above them had cleared up and the moon shone brightly.

The spy had turned tail and ran into the woods, but Grey and Raven knew these trees better than anyone else. Grey stayed on the wolf’s heels while Raven ran ahead and cut him off. The wolf slid to a stop, baring his teeth and lashing the air with his tail.

_We are going to fucking kill you,_ Grey said as he circled the intruding wolf. The wolf had rusty brown fur and deep brown eyes that were glowing yellow in the light. 

The black wolf glanced at the grey wolf. It was shaking, fury pouring off the wolf in waves. Raven had never seen so much energy pour off Grey before. He circled around the two, ears back and teeth bore. The wolf from Serene’s back dug his claws into the dirt and spit, shaking his head. 

_You’re the ones that are going to die,_ the wolf sneered. _Just like that pup—_

Grey launched himself forward, teeth flashing in the moonlight. Raven darted around the two, a constant shadow, but didn’t attack. This was Grey’s fight. The rest of the pack may not know about he and Luke, but Raven did, and he knew this was something Grey had to do. This wolf had nearly killed his new mate; it was Grey’s job to kill him instead.


	8. Exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! xoxo

Blood sprayed and fur flew. The two wolves lunged at each other, paws digging up earth as the two circled each other. The third wolf, black as night, watched from the shadows, circling the two, watching. 

Both wolves were panting. The grey wolf’s coat was wet with blood; the rusty brown wolf had a torn ear and a gash across one eye. The grey wolf lunged again and the brown wolf reeled back, dodging the teeth, and bit at the wolf’s belly. The grey wolf yelped, twisting away, kicking and snapping, before he regained his footing and lunging.

They rolled on the ground until the grey wolf came out on top. He had the brown wolf pinned and his jaws around his throat. Sharp, raspy whines filled the air, but the grey wolf did not let go. He only bit down harder, teeth slicing through skin and severing veins. Blood flowed into his mouth and up his nose. He almost choked, almost pulled away.

But he couldn’t. He had to do this.

Ears pinned back, eyes closed, the grey wolf gave his prey a savage shake and bit down harder. The struggling beneath him stopped and the forest was quiet.

Grey stepped back. His muzzle, chest and front legs were drenched in blood. It dripped from his mouth and nose. He stood silent, staring down at the wolf he had just killed.

Eyes stared up at him, cold and lifeless.

Grey snorted and shifted on his paws before he threw his head back and howled. Raven stood by silently, listening to the wolf’s low sounding victory howl.

Then the grey wolf was shifting on his paws. _Now what?_

_When the body grows cold, it will change back to human,_ Raven said as he sniffed around the dead wolf. The change after death was an evolutionary defense mechanism; it had kept werewolves a secret from the world for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

_I think we should dispose of it before that happens,_ Grey said as his stomach started to turn. He’d killed in the warehouse when he had saved Luke. That had been easy enough. He had sunk back inside his werewolf mind and let the monster take over, let it hunt and kill as needed. But what he had done just now, he had done on his own. He had made the decision to end this wolf’s life. He had taken it with his teeth.

_The river,_ Raven suggested. He jumped back when Grey shifted forms, rearing onto his hind legs as his body grew and filled out into that of a bipedal werewolf. He reached down, throwing the dead wolf over his shoulder, and started walking.

Raven trotted along next to the werewolf. They reached the river which was cut deep in the land, a dangerous drop for anyone unaware. The water was going the opposite way of the lake and their house, and should be carried off into larger central river that cut through the state; if it made it through the underground caves. If they were lucky the body would never be found.

With a huff Grey tossed the dead wolf down into the black water. There was a loud splash and the body was swept down under the black water and away.

The deed done, Grey fell forward back into his wolf shape and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. He wanted to lie here and sleep, but the blood was drying in his fur, and Luke needed him at home.

_I just want to go home and hold him,_ he said as his ears squared.

Raven looked sympathetic. He huffed and shook his fur. _Then tell Collin._

_I can’t,_ Grey whined. He dropped his tail and lowered his nose to the ground.

The black wolf pushed against the grey wolf. They started home, slowly at first, until the pull to unite with the pack was too much and then they were running. Grey was feeling the burn of his muscles as they trotted through the yard. Next to him Raven started to Change back, and Grey followed suite.

Raven sighed. “It’s a good thing we live out in the middle of nowhere.”

Grey blinked before he remembered he had ripped out of his clothing in his furious Change. He looked down at his body. Normally he would have made some snide remark about his penis, or just winked at Raven, but he didn’t feel like it tonight. He was dirty and bloody, and his body was covered in heavy dark bruises that would be healed by the morning. On top of it all he had a headache and his heart hurt.

“Come on,” Raven prompted as he headed up the steps to the front door.

Inside the house Grey headed for the downstairs bathroom while Raven went into the kitchen to clean up Luke’s blood. He mopped the floor and added some bleach to burn away the scent. He picked up Luke’s clothing and shook his head. They were ripped beyond repair, and his white shirt was red. He threw them away.

He was just finishing up when Grey padded through the living room, clean but still damp, wearing sweatpants and a sleeveless blue shirt. “Let’s go upstairs,” Raven said.

The other three were in Luke’s bedroom. Luke was sitting up, his face white with pain, with a black eye and swollen lip. He looked rough, but when he saw Grey, he smiled.

Grey smiled back. He wanted to hug him, cuddle him, kiss every bruise and cut. But he wouldn’t be doing that, so instead he sat down on the bed and asked, “How do you feel?”

“Like a werewolf tried to eat me,” Luke said. He winced in pain and leaned back against the pillows. “I was just telling them what happened.”

Collin, who had been stretched out next to his little brother, relayed the story onto Grey and Raven; how he followed the boy’s terrified scent to the empty lots behind grocery store and Changed. Collin had traded in his blanket for pajama shorts and a t-shirt that was pink with a unicorn on the front flying on a rainbow.

Fox, who had been sitting on in a chair on the other side of the bed, straightened suddenly. “I heard you guys howling, what happened?”

Grey exhaled. “There was a spy. A rusty-brown wolf.”

“Marcus,” Fox said. He remembered him being mostly brown, but they had been in a dirty, dark alley, and his thoughts had been a bit impaired. “Where is he now?”

“Dead in the river,” Grey said. His blue eyes saw the shock roll through Luke. He swallowed hard. “I killed him.”

“By yourself?” Collin asked. He glanced curiously at Raven.

The teen shrugged. “I was there for back-up.”

“Y-you killed him?” Luke asked his voice soft and worried. He felt sick.

“It wasn’t the first time I’ve killed someone,” Grey gently reminded him.

“I know but…” Luke shook his head. “I guess they would have killed me.”

Grey had smelled Luke on that wolf’s fur; his blood. It had fueled his anger, gave him the strength to fight that bastard to the death. Now that it was done though, now that he was in his human skin, he did feel sick about it. Taking a life was no easy feat. And it brought back memories that Grey had been trying to bury for years. He might not be sleeping tonight. With a sigh he dropped his head into his hands.

“You all right?” Collin asked.

“I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah,” Fox agreed; it was growing late, even for them. “Let’s all try to get some sleep.”

“Want me to stay with you?” Collin asked.

Luke nodded quickly. He felt a little bad, not thinking of Grey right away, but Collin had always been there to keep him safe, to chase the nightmares away. Right now his scent was keeping him calm, and luring him to sleep. He tugged on Collin’s sleeve. “Yes, please.”

“I’m going to do a quick patrol,” Fox said, “just to make sure we’re alone.”

Raven stood. “I’ll go with you.”

Grey pursed his lips. He smiled at Luke and Collin before leaving the room. Already his brain was buzzy with activity, bringing up memories, nightmares, things that had haunted him for years—still haunted him in fact, but he was better about ignoring them.

Killing hunters hadn’t bothered him as much as this. This was different.

He went to bed, curling up in the middle of it on top of the sheets. He closed his eyes, but he knew that he wouldn’t be sleeping. Grey wanted to cry, or abandon the idea and go outside with Fox and Raven. He did not, instead he lay quietly, listening to the silence.

…

“We’re going to have to go home today.”

Luke raised his head from the pillow. He blinked and frowned. “What? Why?”

“I had call Mary and tell her that I hit a deer,” Collin said. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his drawing pad in his lap and a mess of pencils next to him. “The front of the car is totally trashed. And you can’t go to work until this mess is taken care of, so I need her to tell your boss we were in a car accident.”

“One hell of an accident—hey wait! You aren’t hurt though!”

“The impact is mostly the passenger side of the car,” Collin said. “I’m hoping no one will ask too many questions. Maybe they’ll just be happy we’re alive.”

Luke snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

“Maybe I’ll get a new car out of this,” Collin said thoughtfully.

“I’m so glad my mauling is convenient for you,” Luke muttered.

“Oh, shut up. You know I’m glad you’re alive.”

“So um,” Luke started as he lay back again, “what’s going to happen now?”

Collin paused his hand. He was working on a tattoo design for Vandina. “With?”

“Don’t try to like, shield me from this,” Luke snipped, “I want to know what’s going to happen now with the other pack. Grey killed one, I’m sure that won’t make them back off.”

“We just wait—“

“We can’t just wait,” Luke argued. He shook his head and looked down at his trembling hands. “They’ll just come again. And what if they kill someone next time? Or-or me? They’re after me, Grey said so. And I’d just, you know, rather not?”

Collin’s lips pursed and he sighed tiredly. “Luke I don’t know—“

There was a loud knock at the door, interrupting Collin, and he was grateful for it. He turned and Luke looked up as Grey peered in the door. “Am I interrupting?”

“No,” Collin said as he quickly gathered his items off the bed, “I need to go do something anyway.”

Luke scowled at his brother’s back as he fled the room, avoiding the conversation, but his annoyance was quickly replaced by warmth and affection when Grey entered the room and closed the door behind him. His heart quickened and couldn’t stop from smiling.

Grey shoved his hands in his pockets. “How are you feeling?”

“Don’t act aloof, get over here,” Luke said as he sat up, wincing a little at the pain.

Grey smiled and crawled onto the bed, his back to the headboard, and put his arm around Luke when the boy nestled against him. It was nice to finally get some alone time. 

“Now that I have you,” Luke said after he had snuggled firmly against Grey’s side. “I have a question for you.”

“It’s a little early for a marriage proposal,” Grey said, “but yes.”

Luke laughed, pressing his face into Grey’s chest. “Shut up, no—“

“I’m so heartbroken—“

“I want to know what the plan is with Serene’s pack.”

Grey inhaled and turned his eyes to the ceiling. He wondered why Collin had fled so quickly. “I don’t think there is a plan,” he admitted, “besides waiting. The full moon is coming up, so if they’re going attack, it’ll be then.”

“Why then?” Luke asked. “They can all shift on their own.”

“Yeah, but under the full moon we’re stronger,” he said. 

“Oh,” Luke said. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady beat of Grey’s heart.

“But I won’t let them hurt you again,” Grey said, his voice caught in a bit of a growl. 

“You killed one.”

“I did.” He licked his lips, remembering the taste of blood. Only after brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth out four times was he able to get the taste out of his mouth. He hadn’t thrown up, but he knew he was that wolf’s blood. He swallowed hard.

Was it bad or good that the taste of blood and the need to kill was easier this time?

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Killing can’t be easy,” Luke said. He trailed his fingers over Grey’s chest before resting his hand over his heart. “Or, I don’t think it should be? I’m not wolf yet, so I guess I don’t know.”

Grey took Luke’s hand, lifting his knuckles to his mouth. “It’s hard to explain.” He kissed Luke’s hand.

“Well, as long as you’re all right,” Luke said. He looked up at Grey, who leaned down to kiss him. It was soft and chaste, but it was enough to warm Luke to his toes. He sighed nuzzled his nose against Grey’s.

…

The Burns was exactly how Luke remembered it. The suburb never changed. He sat in the passenger seat as Collin drove his crunched-up red car up into the driveway and parked it next to Dan’s car.

Luke took a deep breath as he exited the car. He was walking with a heavy limp and really hoped no one asked to see his leg, it would hard to explain the giant bite in his calf.

They walked into the house and Luke went to sit on the couch in the living room while Collin darted up to his bedroom to sort through his paperwork to find the information on his car. While Luke was sitting, Mary walked in from down the hallway.

“Oh my God, Luke, are you okay?” she asked, staring at his black eye.

Luke nodded and sat up. “Yeah, just a little sore. Collin ran upstairs to find the deed to his car and stuff.”

“Jesus, are you sure it was a deer you hit?” Dan snapped as he stepped outside to look at the damage to the car. 

Luke shrugged. “It was dark and it was big. And we hit it. So yeah.”

“Was your brother drinking?” Dan asked.

Luke had limped outside and was leaning back against the house. He sighed heavily. Some things never changed, but at least Mary had the decency to look embarrassed instead of jumping on that bandwagon. “No, of course not.”

“I still can’t believe that _you_ let them out of the house for the summer,” Dan said as he scowled at his wife. “It’s irresponsible! And we’ve never met that other boy’s parents. For all we know they live out in the country on their own.”

Luke’s eyes widened a bit before he said, “Yeah it’s like Pippy Longstocking.”

Dan stared at him in confusion, before turning back to the car. He pulled a few strands of hair from the damaged front bumper. “You obviously did hit something.”

“Yeah, a big fucking deer,” Collin said as he joined them outside. He handed Mary a folder of paperwork. 

“We aren’t buying you another car,” Dan said.

Collin scowled. “I paid for most of it,” he said. He had worked mowing lawns and shoveling driveways and doing odd neighborhood jobs. This was all before he tried to kill himself, became a werewolf, and turned his back on most of his world.

“ _Most_ being the key word,” Dan said. “The insurance company will junk it, it’s not worth fixing, and you’ll just have to get a job and buy a new car yourself.”

Collin crossed his arms over his chest. “Then I want the money I paid into it. I have the receipts—“

“If you were a more responsible driver, this wouldn’t have happened, and you wouldn’t be without a car to begin with!” the man snapped.

Something dangerous flashed in Collin’s eyes, and Luke shuffled to his side and grabbed his sleeve to keep him from doing anything stupid. Dan didn’t know that if Collin hadn’t been there, he’d been dead right now, and they’d be in mourning and planning a funeral.

Collin glanced at Luke and sighed heavily. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Fox. “Whatever, okay, fucking whatever. Fox will be here to pick us up so we’ll be going.”

The man opened his mouth to complain, but Mary stepped between them. “I’ll call you with the insurance report Collin. Did you take everything out of the car you want to keep? It’ll more than likely be junked.”

“Yeah, I did,” he said. He stared at her. She was so different, why? Collin knew he was a nightmare child, but not so much that she should be so different. He still thought he was having an affair. Dan was the same as ever.

The two adults went back inside the house and Collin sat down on the pavement, folding his legs and playing on his phone. Luke stiffly sat down next to him; wincing at the pain in his leg and back. 

“What are you going to do without a car?” Luke asked.

Collin shrugged. “I can always borrow Fox’s until I can afford a new one.”

“You’re broke,” Luke said with a frown. “You don’t work.”

Collin smiled. “Maybe I’ll get a job with you at the store.”

“With the way things are going, I could use a bodyguard,” Luke said.

…

It was hot that night. The humidity swelled and the air was stifling and hard to breathe. When the other five members of the pack shifted into their wolf skin to practice fighting outside in the yard, Luke had opted to stay inside with the dogs and the air conditioning.

He was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, tossing a piece to the dogs every now and then, while he watched television. 

The kitchen door snapped shut as Grey walked in. Though the AC was on, he still walked to the refrigerator, pulled open the freezer door, and stuck his head inside.

Luke chuckled. “Hot out there?”

Grey, sweating through his shorts and tank-top, stepped away from the freezer and nodded. “It’s even worse when you’re covered in heavy fur,” he said. He grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and started to chug it as he walked into the living room.

He was standing next to Luke when he finished the bottle, and noticed the boy was giving him a disgusted look.

“What?”

“You smell terrible.”

Grey smelled under his arm, winced, before looking at Luke. He sat down. “I don’t think so.”

Luke tried to scoot away. “Well, you’d be wrong.”

Grey growled playfully, the sound vibrating in his chest. Luke gasped when Grey pinned him against the arm of the couch and kissed at his neck. Luke laughed. “Stop! Get off!”

Before Grey could lean away he was being wrenched away and thrown into the far wall, hard enough to dent it. Grey slumped to the ground, gasping, while Luke sat up with a start, hands covering his mouth.

Fox was standing over Grey, growling threateningly. His fists were clenched at his sides and the muscles in his arms and legs were twitching; he was closing to Changing. Grey was staring up at him, blue eyes wide and body tense. Luke was afraid they were both going to Change and fight it out in the house—

He leaped to his feet, stumbling as he did, and shouted, “Stop! What are you doing?!”

“What’s going on in here? We’re fighting outside,” Collin shouted as he and Raven ran in the door. When Raven saw the position everyone was in, he realized what had happened, and almost turned and went back outside the door to avoid the situation.

To his credit, he did not, and just stood near the kitchen, arms crossed.

Collin frowned. “What’s going on?”

“He was kissing your brother,” Fox snarled. “Who clearly didn’t want it.”

“Hey, hey I did—“

“What?!” Collin yelled his voice sharp with surprise. “Wait—what?!”

“It’s not—what you think!” Luke insisted as he limped up, trying to push his way between the two bristling alphas and Grey, who was still in the floor. Luke realized that there wasn’t a lot Grey could do right now. He was the omega; he was bound by pack law to be submissive, to show his neck or belly. Luke however, was bound by nothing.

“Luke, what the hell is going on?” Collin asked. His eyes were everywhere at once, and seemed to notice things he had glossed over before; Luke’s lips, the fading mark on his neck, the blush on his face. He growled. 

Luke shrugged. “We’re dating.”

Collin shook his head. “You can’t date him, Luke.”

Luke frowned, placing his hands on his hips. “Why not?”

“Because he’s…” Collin frowned. “Because you just can’t!”

“Well that’s…just too bad,” Luke said with a shrug. “Because we are.”

Collin stared at him, face laced in confusion. He turned to look at Grey, who hadn’t moved from the floor. “When did this start?”

“The night that Serene’s wolves attacked the house,” Grey said softly.

“Luke…you just, you can’t be serious here. You can’t date him!”

“Why not?!”

“Because he’s too old for you.”

“Too old? Seriously, Collin?”

“He’ll hurt you,” Fox added.

“I would never hurt him!” Grey shouted, sitting up as Luke said, “He’s never hurt me!”

“Grey, you’re—you can’t be serious—“

“You’re a horn-dog,” Fox said, glaring down at him. “You can’t possibly—“ Fox closed his mouth, staring down at Grey who looked more hurt than he’d ever seen him. He sighed, reaching down for Grey’s hand and pulling him to his feet.

“I would never, ever hurt Luke,” Grey said, keeping his head bowed and shoulders hunched. The tension was still high in the room, and they had been fighting for hours as wolves and running on high adrenaline. Grey knew he was lucky that Fox hadn’t broken anything or bitten him. “I care about him a lot.”

Collin stalked around his brother to Grey and growled, and may have attacked Grey if Luke hadn’t hurried to get between them.

“Collin, stop!” Luke said, pressing his hands against Collin’s chest. “Hey, idiot, stop!”

“Don’t call me an idiot,” Collin said as he scowled at his brother. “You’re the idiot—“

“Am not,” Luke argued back. “I like Grey, okay? I _like him._ And he likes me. Right, Raven?”

Raven’s eyes widened and tensed. He didn’t answer.

“You knew about this?” Fox demanded.

Raven regained his composure and glared at Luke. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Collin asked.

Raven opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t seem to come up with anything worth saying. He just sighed heavily and pushed his long, tangled black hair over his shoulder. “I guess because I didn’t see anything wrong.”

Luke smiled at Raven, making a mental promise to make it up to him for throwing him in the spotlight later. “See? Nothing wrong.” He turned and hugged Grey, who hesitated. “Hug me back.”

Grey snorted a laugh through his nose and put his arms around Luke. “You’re going to get me killed,” he hissed in his ear.

Collin tugged at his long hair and sighed heavily. “I-I really am not happy about this.”

Luke shrugged dismissively. “That’s okay.”

“And I don’t want any—any—or fuck, you haven’t had sex, have you?”

Luke turned away from Grey, his face crimson. “Yeah, lots of times. On your bed.”

Collin bristled, knowing very well it was a lie. He exhaled a heavy breath and bared his teeth. “I wish you could Change.”

“Me, too, I’d kick your ass.”

“You so would not!”

“I so would!” Luke said back. “I’d push you down and sit on your head like you used to do to me when we were little kids!”

Fox and Grey looked at them in confusion.

“You’re such a brat,” Collin hissed. “Maybe I’ll kick your ass right now.”

“I think maybe we should get back outside,” Raven interrupted. “We have bigger problems we should be worrying about.”

“You and Grey do,” Collin said as he walked by them and headed for the door.

Raven sighed heavily and glared at Grey.

“I’ll watch your back if you watch mine,” Grey offered.

“You’re on your own,” Raven snapped as he followed Collin and Fox outside.

“He’s going to bite you, isn’t he?” Luke asked. “Want me to come outside and protect you?”

Grey sighed. “No, that’s okay. I’m used to it. You can just make feel better later.”

Luke blushed and shook his head. “You really are a horn-dog.”

“I meant with ice-packs and a massage, of course.”

“Of course you did.”

“But if you wanted, we can always—“

A howl interrupted them and Luke laughed.


	9. Wolf's Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been having a lot of writing issues with this book x_x I really want to finish it. Thanks for reading, as always! You're all wonderful xoxo

Grey woke to a warm body pressed against his own. He smiled, burying his nose in Luke’s hair and inhaled deeply. Collin had strictly forbid sleepovers but neither Luke nor Grey was very good at listening. After a night of practice fighting, and getting bit and pinned by Collin more times than he could count, Grey had just wanted to lay down somewhere safe to sleep off the pain. Naturally he’d gone straight to Luke’s bedroom.

It had been nice to spend the night in Luke’s room with him without worrying about being discovered. They had kissed a little, but Grey had been exhausted and sore. Luke had been attentive and sweet, letting Grey curl against him, resting his cheek on Luke’s chest and using him as a pillow. Luke had laughed, combing his fingers through Grey’s hair, whispering him to sleep.

When he had woken later their positions had changed, but that wasn’t what woke him.

“Luke? Luke?” Grey had said quietly, shaking Luke’s shoulder. The boy had been thrashing in his sleep and whimpering. “Hey, it’s okay—“

Luke sat up with a start, breath coming in short gasps. He turned, looking at Grey, frowning in confusion. Then he’d collapsed on his back, breathing heavy.

“That must have been some nightmare,” Grey whispered as he stretched out next to him.

“Sometimes I remember…that place,” Luke had murmured, his voice soft and heavy with sleep. He nudged closer to Grey. “I forget sooner enough but…the fear is still there.”

Grey gathered Luke in his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “You’re safe with me.”

“I know I am,” Luke whispered as he nodded off, his lips parted. Grey dropped a kiss onto those soft lips before tucking his nose into Luke’s hair and falling back to sleep.

Grey sat up and rubbed his head. Luke was curled up under a sheet, with his hands pulled close to his chest and his chin bowed. His golden hair was messy and glowed in the sunlight that was peeking through the curtains. Grey leaned down, touching his lips to Luke’s cheek, before his bladder won his attention and he slipped from the bed.

Collin was coming out of the bathroom as Grey stopped in the hallway. “Uh, morning.”

“Yeah. Morning,” Collin said, slightly startled, which was followed up with irritation. His eyes narrowed and he placed his hands on his hips. “I thought I said no sleepovers?”

“Yeah, like you ever listened when anyone told you that,” Grey quipped with a grin.

Collin’s lips twitched as he fought the urge to smile. “Bastard, I knew you’d say that.”

“Oh come on, you love me,” Grey chimed as he grabbed Collin into a bear hug. He squeezed hard and snuggled up to him, knowing he was annoying him. He was rewarded with a growl, but he ignored it. “You lo~ve me,” he sang.

“Yeah, I’ll love you until you make my little brother cry,” Collin grunted as he struggled against Grey. He may be the omega of the pack, but it certainly wasn’t because he was weak and small. Grey was strong, and growing stronger every day. Last night during their sparring Collin had taken him down a couple times and bitten him, but he knew that Grey had been holding back.

After all, Grey had killed Marcus with his own teeth, without Raven’s help.

Grey nuzzled against Collin’s neck. “I’d never make him cry, you know that.”

“I hope you’re right, or you’ll have my bite marks on your ass.”

“Oh, kinky!”

“All right, all right, let me go!”

…

Fox left the house early that morning before the sun came up. He and Collin had slept in their own bedrooms that night, Fox feigning a headache. Truth was, he had had a lot of thinking to do, and couldn’t do it with Collin around. Because if Collin was there, Fox would want to tell him what he was thinking, what he was planning, and he knew Collin would stop him. This, Fox couldn’t be stopped in. As alpha and protector of the pack, he knew he had to do this. So he head into Pineview City before the rest of the pack was awake. 

Fox knew he was young for an alpha, knew his pack was young, that they had no elders to lead them and teach them everything they needed to know. A lot of the packs in the city were like his, small and immature with little to no werewolf experience, but unlike his pack they teetered between extremes of being human and wolf. They were like Serene’s pack, all violence and aggression; they ran off the wolf’s most primal instincts and their human emotions. They never tamed the wolf, or accepted it; they just used it for its power to rule over the others in their control. Like Serene and his pack of belly-crawling mongrels, and Dave who had used his power to assault anyone weaker than himself. 

He couldn’t stand the tension running through the house, and the looming danger that threatened them at every moment. He couldn’t stand knowing that Luke couldn’t go back to work because he was vulnerable there, and that the puppy of the pack couldn’t even stay home alone. Fox knew if he was a proper alpha, none of this would have happened. He should have challenged Serene himself a long time ago and ended this. Now it was too late. One of Serene’s wolves had been killed, and there had been two attempts on Luke’s life.

Fox left his car around on a separate block from Serene’s territory and walked down the empty morning street to the pack house. He saw two lanky figures standing at the door, smoking and watching him back. 

A tremor of fear crawled through him. Was he up for this? Serene wasn’t like the wolves in his pack. He was alpha and he was big and he was strong, and much older than Fox was. The wolves in his pack were scavengers, men and women he had bitten himself or found on the street.

_This isn’t the time to be scared,_ he told himself. He had to do this. To keep the pack safe he had to challenge Serene, and God help him, win. If the alpha was dead, the pack would disperse. Nothing was holding them together but their alpha.

Movement caught his eye and he looked to the left, and was surprised when he saw a large black wolf standing in the morning shadows. Fox frowned. “Raven?”

The wolf flicked an ear and took a few steps back before shifting back to his human skin. It was quick and fluid, with a grace that Fox had only seen Collin replicate. Raven had an advantage over them all, having been raised in a pack of werewolves, and being born a werewolf. To Raven werewolves had never been the monster, they had never been the source of nightmares or pain, to Raven it was life. It was the rest of them that were haunted.

Raven, dressed in black jeans and a tight black t-shirt, but wearing no shoes or socks, walked out of the alley to stand next to Fox. “I know what you’re doing,” he said darkly.

Fox crossed his arms over his chest. “And what is that?”

“You’re going to go in there, challenge Serene, and die. Then Serene is going to take over the pack, kill me and Grey, keep Collin and Luke as his bitches and move into our house and take over the territory,” Raven said in a steady, affirmative tone.

Fox bared his teeth. “Fuck you, Raven.”

“No,” Raven said calmly. “I’m right and you know it. More important, you’ll be hated by the rest of us forever if you go in there and die. Well, for as long as our own lives last.” Raven looked to the house, to the eyes that were watching them. “If you go in there, they will not fight by the rules. They will team up and kill you.”

Fox bared his teeth before looking to the sky, which was pastel with the shades of morning. “Then just what do you suggest, Raven? What should I do? Because I have no fucking idea! I’m just winging it here, do you understand? I have no fucking idea. Because I wasn’t born into this life, it was thrown at me. And I don’t know what to do!”

Raven watched Fox calmly before he answered. “We’ve been waiting for them to come to us, right? We know they’re waiting for a Moon, or another chance go after Luke. I’m tired of waiting. Collin and Luke are tired of waiting. Grey is going to explode if he waits any longer. Issue a challenge, pack-against-pack. We do this together.” 

“That doesn’t keep you guys from getting hurt,” Fox argued, “or dying.”

“We won’t be safe if you go in there and get yourself killed either.”

“So I’m supposed to go in there, issue a challenge, and get us _all_ killed?”

Raven gave him a rare smile, though there was no humor in it. “Fox, think. Grey has been bitching for weeks for this fight. Collin isn’t as loud about it as Grey, but he’s boiling over for this fight. And I, for one, have been hunting rabbits for far, far too long.”

Fox stared at him. Raven’s deep blue eyes were unwavering. He was confident that they could do this, and he was itching to bloody his teeth. Fox realized he was going to have to trust his pack to win this.

They did this together, or not at all.

“You’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Raven pushed his long black hair over his shoulder and looked past Fox to the werewolves in human skin standing at the pack’s door, watching them but unable to hear them. “I suggest in three days because it’s the full moon. We’ll be at our strongest, and so will they, but I believe we have the advantage.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s simple,” Raven said, looking back to him. “We’re a real pack. We stand at each other’s sides and we can turn our backs and bellies to each knowing that we would never, ever hurt each other. We trust each other completely. Those werewolves of Serene’s, they’re just beaten down belly scratchers who would turn on each at any given moment. No better than the starving dogs in the alley.”

Fox nodded. “Fine. Wait here—“

“No. It’s too dangerous for that. I’m going with you.”

Fox frowned at him, knowing he couldn’t change Raven’s mind. He shrugged and turned, striding across the street and toward the house with Raven a few steps behind him, to show submission to his alpha.

The two wolves at the door stood shoulder to shoulder as they approached. The two men bared their teeth and growled when Fox stopped short of the porch steps. “What the fuck do you want?”

“If you think you can mark this place again, you better think twice!”

“Get Serene,” Fox snarled between sharpened teeth. The whites of his eyes bled black and his eyes became bright and wolfish. He knew these two from the alley when the pack had jumped him outside of the Golden Tooth, and they had most likely sunk their teeth into Luke in the failed murder attempt. Fox felt hatred boil inside him and the wolf that lurked in his bones started to stir. It wanted blood.

One of the wolves stumbled back while the other hunched his shoulders and bowed his head. Fox might not be their alpha, but he was an alpha, and right now he was throwing off waves of energy. They had no choice but to obey, and headed into the house.

Fox glanced back at Raven, who was standing still and silent, hands behind his back. He only nodded when shadows appeared at the door, this time it was Serene and not his underlings.

The man stormed out the door and straight to Fox, getting in his face, no doubt trying to gauge a reaction from him. Fox, to his credit, didn’t move or flinch or even blink when the larger, older alpha snarled in his face, showing his teeth.

Fox growled back, displaying his teeth. “Step any closer and I’ll rip your throat out.”

The man smirked and looked back at the three werewolves gathered in the doorway, watching with sharp eyes. Fox could smell two females, but he didn’t see them. Serene turned back to Fox, eyeing him up and down. Serene was tall and broad-shouldered, with tan skin and his hair in military-style buzz cut and piercings on the bridge of his nose. He had ugly scars on his neck and cheek and old, faded tattoos on his arms and hands. 

The name had always puzzled Fox, because Serene looked anything but serene.

Serene circled Fox, ignoring Raven, before he finally stopped in front of him again.

“So what do you want here?” Serene finally asked. “Did your puppy enjoy our company the other night? It didn’t end like I had hoped, but it was a fun hunt either way.”

“Not as much as Marcus did,” Fox said in a voice that low and heavy with a growl, “when my packmate ripped out his throat.”

Behind Serene the men growled, their eyes glowing in the shadows of the house, but Serene didn’t seem too concerned. He shrugged. “Marcus was weak and stupid. It would have happened sooner or later.”

“I’m here to challenge your pack,” Fox said. “Three nights from now is the full moon. Come to abandoned campgrounds off Highway 44 after moonrise.”

Serene sneered. “You think you can tell me what to do, you little fuck?”

Fox raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Is that a no? You’re that much of a coward?”

Serene didn’t turn around, but for a moment his head tilted toward the house where his pack was listening in. He scowled at Fox, his eyes wolf-like now and the veins bulging in his arms and forehead. “I am not a coward,” he growled, “challenge accepted.”

“No guns,” Fox said, “this is wolf business and it’s going to stay the way of tooth and claw.”

“I look forward to tasting your blood,” Serene hissed.

“Not as much as me,” Fox murmured as Serene turned, snapping his teeth at his pack and causing them to scatter. The door slammed shut and Fox turned to Raven and together they walked across the street and down the alley to Fox’s car.

“Did that go well? I felt like it went well,” Fox said when they inside the car.

Raven shrugged. “It went as well as could be expected.”

“I’m glad you were with me.”

Raven didn’t answer, just turned his attention out the window of the car as Fox pulled out into the street and traffic. It was still early and he, Raven and Grey had to go to work. Fox wished he could call it off, but they needed the money and this job was something they couldn’t afford to mess up.

He called the house, telling Grey to meet them at the apartment complex that the company they worked for had been hired to re-shingle. He was looking forward to the hard work today. His blood was boiling with adrenaline and he needed to work it off.

…

**Fox (5:42)** _When we get home we’re having a pack meeting. Is Luke home right?_

**Collin (5:43)** _Yeah Mary called in and got him excused from work for the ‘car accident’ remember? Is everything all right?_

**Fox (5:43)** _We’ll talk about it when we’re all home._

Collin fidgeted, staring at his phone until setting it on the charger and heading downstairs. Luke was outside with the dogs, throwing the Frisbee and plethora of dog toys that littered the yard. 

He went outside and perched on the picnic table in the sunlight. There was only one thing they could be meeting about, and Collin knew it had to do with Fox leaving early that morning and Raven taking off shortly after. 

“The full moon,” Collin said with a sigh. “That has to be it.”

“Hm?” Luke jogged over to where his brother was sitting. He had healed faster, faster than he had in the past. It had been a little scary at first, but he wasn’t going to complain about it, he certainly didn’t miss limping.

“The full moon,” Collin repeated. “It’s in a couple days.”

Luke swallowed hard and sat down on the picnic table. “Are they going to come?”

“I think so,” he said. “Fox is having a pack meeting tonight. I imagine that’s what we’re going to talk about.”

Luke fiddled with the Frisbee before throwing it to the whining huskies. “Can I do anything to help? Grey promised to show me how to use a gun.”

Collin stared at him. “You are not learning to use a gun!”

“Hey, why not?”

“They’re dangerous.”

“And murderous werewolves aren’t?” Luke scoffed.

Collin opened his mouth to answer, before shaking his head. “There isn’t enough time for you to learn.”

“I’m gonna bring it up at the meeting.”

“You are not.”

“Try and stop me.”

Collin glared at his little brother. “I’ll forbid your little sleepovers with Grey.”

Luke laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“I can do it, I’m alpha.”

“Well,” Luke retorted, “the next time I hear you and Fox having sex—and yes I can hear you through the wall!—I’m going to turn up my CD player and play the Digimon soundtrack!”

Collin blinked at Luke, a smile breaking his otherwise stern expression. “You have the soundtrack?”

“Of course I do.”

Collin chuckled and shook his head. “Let’s just wait and see what Fox has to say, all right?”

Luke shrugged and headed into the house. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a box of cheerios. He poured a handful and popped them into his mouth.

The door opened and closed behind him as Collin came in, leaving the dogs outside to play. He reached for the box of cereal. 

“So um, how are things with…you are Grey?” Collin asked.

Luke looked at him, weighing his brother’s expression. “It’s good.”

“How did you two get together?” Collin asked. He ate a handful of cereal. “Or do I not want to know?”

He chuckled. “We’d been watching each other for a while,” Luke said. “I noticed that…I was noticing him, and he said it had been the same for him. We kissed the night that Serene first attacked the house. We’d been talking about…dating and feelings and we, yeah, we kissed. It was nice. It was…soft.”

Collin blinked at his brother’s warm, dreamy expression and the light blush on his cheeks. “Are you um, in love with him?”

Luke looked up, the blush darkening on his cheeks. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the cereal box. 

“Luke?”

“I d-don’t know,” Luke said as he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. “I mean, I like him a whole lot. I mean—a really lot. But I’ve never been in love before. How did you know you were in love with Fox?”

Collin sat down on the coffee table. “I just knew it one day,” Collin said. 

“Maybe that’s how it’ll be with me,” Luke said. “But right now, I just like him, _a lot_. And he’s a really good kisser. I mean, wow—“

“Luke, seriously?”

“Now you know how I feel whenever you and Fox start to get it on in front of me.”

Collin wrinkled his nose. “We have never gotten it on in front of you!”

“One time, in the kitchen against the counter—“

“You walked in on us! That was your own fault.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, that’s what bedrooms are for.”

“Sometimes we don’t make it to the bedroom and we make due with where we are.”

“Oh shit, you’ve done it on this couch haven’t you?”

“Nowhere is safe, Luke.”

…

That night, after the rest of the pack was home and showered, they gathered around the table to eat supper together. Collin and Luke had made steaks on the grill, pairing it with loaded baked potatoes, bacon-wrapped asparagus and toasted garlic bread. Luke had found a frozen cheesecake in the chest freezer that was in the basement. 

“So, we’re all here,” Collin said as he cut into his steak, “start the meeting, Fox.”

“Right,” he said. “Well, first, don’t get mad at me.”

Collin put his knife down and looked at his mate. “What did you do?”

“I went to Serene’s today, to challenge him to an alpha fight.”

“You did _what_ —“

“Raven stopped me from challenging him to direct fight,” Fox said quickly, “and instead I challenged him to a pack fight; in three nights, on the full moon, at the abandoned campgrounds.”

Luke felt suddenly sick and he set down his fork. He knew this was coming, but now that it was here, he didn’t like it. He looked at Grey who was sitting next to him. But Grey didn’t look scared, he looked excited. There was a bright gleam in his blue eyes.

“It’s going to be…” Fox leaned back in his chair as he tried to fit the words together, “it’s going to be dangerous. People are going to die. It might be us, it might be them.”

“We can beat them,” Grey said confidently. 

“I hope you’re right,” Fox said. 

“What about me?” Luke asked softly. Suddenly his bold plan to go out with a shotgun and hunt werewolves was in the back of his mind, and all he could think of was coming in close contact with teeth and claws again. He shivered.

“I asked Vandina to come and guard you,” Fox said looking at the pup. “If anything happens to us, she’s instructed to take you and run.”

Luke sat up straight, frowning. “What do you mean by that? You mean if you—die?”

Grey looked at Luke and reached under the table to take his hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze. “We won’t be dying,” he said softly.

“Bu-but if you did—what if you do?” Luke stammered. He shook his head. “Grey—“

“Luke,” Fox said softly. “I’m hoping—fuck, I’m praying—that we win this fight. But if something happens, Vandina is going to take you and run. If everything is okay then you can come back. But if the worst happens—“

“Then I what?” Luke snapped, standing up. “I go live with a different pack? I go back to Dan and Mary? What am I going to do, Fox? Tell me!”

Collin stood up, holding his hands up to calm his brother, who was shaking. “Luke, calm down, please.”

Luke shook his head, backing up before turning on his heel and running up the stairs to his bedroom. Collin sighed, sitting back down with a heavy thump. Grey almost stood to chase after Luke, but thought better of it.

“Will Vandina be enough to keep him safe?” he asked.

“Vandina has killed more people than you have,” Collin pointed out. “She’ll do fine.”

“Right,” Grey said as he pressed his hand to his forehead. The fire was gone from his eyes; the excited urge to hunt was currently tucked down inside him. Right now he felt what Luke was feeling: anxiety and fear. What if they did lose?

“If things go south,” Fox continued, “if it looks like we’re going to lose, I want you guys to make a run for it. Don’t stay around to die.”

“Like hell—“ Collin snapped.

“Think about Luke,” Fox said softly, taking Collin’s hand. “Think about what he just said. Where is he going to go? Who is going to help him when he finally Changes? And I don’t want to think about what will happen to you if Serene takes you alive.”

Collin pursed his lips and took a deep breath. That’s when Raven spoke, “I think this meeting went a way we didn’t intend,” he said. “I think we should be talking about the fight, not our possible deaths.”

“You’re right,” Fox said. “I don’t have a lot of information on Serene’s wolves, but I’m going to share what information I know. Then we’re going to go outside and spar some more.”

…

Grey lounged in his wolf fur in the grass while Fox attempted to catch Collin. They had sparred for hours before Collin had grown bored and started tackling them to the ground and going after tails. Then it had been an hour of tag, before Raven dropped out, followed by Grey. The black wolf was sitting nearby, ears perked as he watched the brown and white wolf run through the darkness.

Behind Grey the back door opened and closed quietly. His ears twitched and he turned, resting his chin on his paw. Luke was in his pajamas and his hair was messy, but Grey doubted that the boy had been sleeping. He walked barefoot through the yard and stopped next to Grey.

Luke tilted his head back, looking up at the moon. It was fat, nearly full, but he didn’t feel anything from it. Collin and Grey had both talked about hearing the moon sing, which it called to them like a whisper. But to Luke, it was just a moon, surrounded by twinkling stars and the endlessness of space.

Something touched his hand, drawing Luke’s attention down. The grey wolf was lying on his back, front legs extended and large paws brushing at Luke’s hand and leg. A smile twitched on his lips and he sat down in the grass.

The wolf nudged against him, wiggling until Luke leaned back and the wolf crawled into his lap, though he was much too large and his back and hind quarters remained in the grass. Luke ran his hands through the grey wolf’s fur, stroking over his ears.

“I’m sorry I was upset before,” he said quietly. He could see Collin whenever he darted across the yard, his white fur glowing like a beacon. “I’m just really scared. I want to believe that you guys will win but…but if you don’t…”

A cold nose pressed against his neck and Luke flinched, turning abruptly to the black wolf who was now sitting on his other side. Raven nudged against his neck and then his shoulder, huffing. He nipped at Luke’s sleeve with his teeth.

“Yeah, your teeth are sharp, I know,” Luke whispered as he pet his free hand over Raven’s muzzle. The wolf bared his teeth, but Luke knew he wasn’t going to bite him. He ran his fingernails over Raven’s snout and the wolf gave him a toothy grin.

The grey wolf yipped, whining for attention by pressing his face into Luke’s stomach.

“You big baby,” Luke sighed. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the grey wolf’s head before he shoved him off his lap and stood up. “I’m going back to bed.”

The wolf sprang to his feet, tail wagging.

Luke tilted his head. He didn’t need to speak wolf to know what the wolf was thinking. “If you’re done practicing or playing tag or whatever it is you’re doing, then yeah, you can come with. But you gotta Change back.”

The wolf nodded, darting in a circle and ran ahead of him to the house. When Luke walked around the house to the kitchen door Grey was in his human skin, covered in a thin layer of sweat and panting, but he had a big smile on his face.

“You’re such a dork,” Luke softly said.

Grey shrugged. “I will never deny that.”

“You’re going to shower before coming to bed, right?”

“I thought you liked me smelling all wild and manly?”

“You’d be wrong.”

Luke left Grey to shower and went up to his bedroom. He could hear the others outside, still in their wolf fur, howling and running through the yard. He watched them from the window, and felt his gut start to twist. He couldn’t lose any of them; he loved them all, they were his pack and his family. 

Strong, warm arms wrapped around him from behind and Grey pressed his nose against Luke’s neck, inhaling deeply. Luke leaned back against him. “Grey…”

“Come here,” Grey said in a hushed voice. He dragged Luke to the bed, tumbling them onto it, and settled over Luke, holding his weight on his arms. He leaned down, placing soft, chaste kisses on Luke’s lips, down his neck; scattering them all over his face until he gave his nose a little bite.

Luke snorted, swatting at him. “What are you doing?”

“Savoring the moment,” Grey murmured.

Luke swallowed hard. “Grey…”

“Let’s not think about it,” he interrupted softly. “Let’s…just take in the moment.”

Luke bit his lip. “What should we do?”

Grey knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew Luke wasn’t ready for that yet. So he slid off him and onto the bed and pulling Luke into his arms. They kissed again, over and over, lips sliding and tongues touching, until Luke was tired and Grey was quite uncomfortable. He shifted so he wasn’t prodding at Luke with his hard-on, but thankfully the boy didn’t seem to notice it. He pulled a light blanket over the two of them.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Grey whispered when he felt Luke drift off into sleep. “I swear.”


	10. Teeth and Claw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so so sorry for taking so long. Writer's block and stress are horrible things. Thanks for sticking with me! xoxo

Luke sat on his bed, headphones over his ears, music playing loudly. He had his legs folded and his hands resting on his knees. It was evening and the night of the full moon, and the sun would be setting soon. Too soon. Luke had tried for three days to focus on the wolf he knew had to be inside him. He had entertained the dream that if he could Change, he could assist the pack in their fight. He didn’t want to be helpless; being helpless made him feel hopeless, and he didn’t want that.

Collin had told him that to meditate he needed to clear his mind and listen to soft music. Luke wasn’t a fan of soft music, and found that something loud calmed him more than a piano or violin. He pictured the moon, full and fat, glowing brightly in a solid black sky. He tried to imagine the song it sang, that Collin had spoken so fondly of. But he couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to be called by the Moon. He had no idea what he was supposed to feel, to hear, to experience. Annoyance bubbled through him, quickly extinguishing any bits of serenity he had managed to capture.

Opening his violet eyes, Luke stared at the wall in front of him. He didn’t feel wolf-like at all; only ordinarily human. Wrinkling his nose Luke flopped back on the bed, tangling his hands in his blond hair and pulling at it in frustration. 

“It’s not fair,” he grumbled out loud.

He was laying quietly, eyes closed tight, when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He yelped in surprise and sat up in a rush and slammed his forehead against the person leaning over him. Luke rubbed his head and jerked the headphones off his ears, letting them rest around his neck. Collin was sitting on the bed, hand pressed against his forehead.

“I always said you were hard-headed, but I didn’t mean it literally,” Collin grumbled.

“You startled me,” Luke snipped back. “You should have just shouted at me.”

“I did, over and over, but you were lost in your own little world.”

“Oh.” Luke shifted on the bed, pulling his iPod over to him so he could turn it off. He fiddled with the chord. “What’s up?”

“It’s time for us to go,” Collin said. “Vandina is downstairs.”

Luke swallowed hard, because he was suddenly feeling sick. “Don’t go. Please.”

Collin shook his head. Standing he reached down, taking Luke’s hands and pulling him to his feet. He hugged him, pressing his cheek against Luke’s hair. “I can’t sit this one out.”

“Tell me you’ll come back okay.”

“I’m going to come back okay,” Collin said. “We’re all going to come back okay.”

Luke nodded and stepped back. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took a deep breath. “I wish I could…lock you in my closet and keep you safe.”

“You need to stop watching Dateline.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.” Collin turned, walking out of the bedroom with Luke following him. Downstairs Vandina was standing in the kitchen with the rest of the pack. 

Luke felt his face flush and his heart did a little skip in his chest. The she-wolf was standing barefoot in the kitchen, her hands crossed over her chest. She was wearing the smallest, laciest black dress that Luke had ever seen in his life, with shredded black leggings and lots of black smudged over her eyes. Her hair, more purple than black, hung lose over her shoulders. She had new scars on her arm, thick and puffy. Luke knew that very few things scarred werewolves, and wondered who she had fought with.

He tried not to stare at but it was difficult; even more so when she hugged him tight, breasts pressed against his chest.

He cleared his throat as he stepped away, looking down at his shoes to hide his red face. When he looked up he saw Grey grinning at him. Luke wrinkled his nose and looked away again.

“I was just thanking Vandina for coming,” Fox said.

“I’m more than happy to help, you know that,” her voice was warm and soft. 

The entire pack turned their attention to the open kitchen door at the same time. Everything was quiet, even the dogs who were sitting on the couch in the living room together. But the darkness was starting to fall and the last streaks of sunset were fading. Luke tried to imagine what they were all feeling; were they hearing a song? A call?

He rubbed his hand over his chest. Everything was silence for him. Nothing beckoned him. There was no call to the wild, there was no voice whispering to him. There was only his frantically beating heart and anxiety that was starting to whirlwind into a panic.

Luke felt his breath catch as he stared at his pack and was terrified when the reality started to set in. He shook his head and turned to his brother.

“We’ll be back, Luke,” Fox said when he smelled the smothering scent of their pup’s panic. He drew him into a hug and stroked his hair. Luke clung to him, inhaling Fox’s deep woodsy scent. The wolf inside him was silent, the Moon was silent, but Luke could feel comfort in the alpha’s embrace.

Collin gave him a hug and Raven just nodded to him. He wanted to kiss Grey, wanted to tell him how much he meant to him, but in the end they didn’t even hug. Luke knew that if they did, then they might not part. Grey needed to go, he needed to fight, and Luke knew he couldn’t stop him, or any of them. He could only watch them go.

Luke sat down on the porch step and watched the shadow of boys turn to wolves and in an instant they were gone and it was silent. They didn’t howl or yip or bark; he didn’t even hear their paws on the ground. 

Luke dropped his head into his hands, fighting back tears. Next to him a black wolf sat down, resting its head on his shoulder. Luke smiled at Vandina. She was sleek and soft to the touch. He rested his head against hers and stared into the rising night.

…

The Change was always easiest with the full moon rising above the horizon. Fox felt like moonlight was injected directly into his veins, mixing with his wolf magic and spreading through his body. He went from boy to wolf smoothly, letting it take him over, falling to the ground with blood in his mouth and muscles ripping and bones breaking. It was growing easier, too, he’d found. If he focused on what was happening he could lessen the pain and horror, making the shift from skin to fur more beautiful than grotesque.

His paws flew across the ground, the wind caught in his fur and hundreds of scents passed through his nose. He could run like this for hours, and during his first months as a werewolf it was all he had done. He never grew tired, he never really hungered, and all he thirsted for was water where the moon reflected.

However tonight it wasn’t the song of the moon that had his attention. There was a hum rushing through his body, pumping adrenaline through his veins. The only thing that was as powerful as the call of the Moon was the thirst for blood. Tonight the alpha wolf inside him knew he was going to get the blood it wanted. The alpha always wanted to fight, always wanted to prove itself to be stronger, better, faster than the other wolves. It was the alpha’s job to keep the pack safe, and to do that he had to be willing to kill.

Blazing white fur caught his attention and he looked to his right where Collin was running along side him. The moon reflected off his coat, causing him to glow like a star in the sky. For a moment Fox was mesmerized by his beauty, almost forgetting…

…

The grey wolf slowed to a stop before he could exit the shelter of the trees. His ears perked as Fox, somewhere to his left, howled. The pack answered, filling the air with their song. Then they were listening, ears perked and eyes glowing the darkness. A howl answered them from the other side of the abandoned campgrounds.

_So, they showed up._ Grey pawed at the ground, his claws digging up dirt and grass. His fur bristled and his muscles twitched in anticipation. Grey had fought with self-control for years. He always tried to keep the wolf in control, scared what would happen if he let the wolf lose. He’d seen glimpses of that when he had rescued Luke from the hunters. He’d let the wolf lose, let it kill and hunt, and it had terrified him. 

Tonight he would be letting lose the wolf again. He would hunt for blood, he would possibly kill again. He licked his tongue over his teeth as he remembered what it had felt like to kill Marcus. Grey closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt something wild inside him build up, felt himself shiver, and then the world was shifting. 

The rules of men didn’t apply to werewolves. He had to stop thinking like a human.

With a huff he pushed up onto two legs and his body started to Change yet again. This time he grew into a bipedal werewolf. He shook out his fur and flexed his fingers and curled his claws into the nearest tree. He was seven feet tall and hundreds of pounds of muscle, claws and teeth. 

The others had Changed too, he could see their shadows along the trees. He watched as Fox stepped from the cover and into the moonlight, his werewolf form lithe and powerful. The moonlight shined off the tips of his fur and made his eyes glow white.

The alpha wolf threw his head back and howled. It wasn’t the same howl as a wolf. This was the howl of a monster; it was brutal and terrifying, and scared the birds from the trees and any animals away that had been nearby. It echoed off the trees and carried far on the wind. It was threat of impending death and doom.

Crows cawed from above him and Grey tilted his head, glaring at the birds. Did they sense the bloodbath that was about to happen? Were they hoping to feast upon the dead? He bared his teeth and snapped at the branch the birds were sitting on. They cawed and flapped their wings at him, but didn’t fly away.

Seconds later they were answered by a howl from the other pack, just as eyes started to blink in the shadows. They were in their werewolf fur as well. Grey easily picked out Serene when the alpha bared his teeth and howled again, louder and longer this time.

Grey wanted to shut him up, wanted to bit his face off. He bared his teeth and growled.

Fox motioned with his head and the two packs fully emerged from the shadows and into the empty campgrounds that had been long ago closed and abandoned. There was nothing left here but an empty lot of scraggly grass. The trees had grown wild around it, with hedges and brush creeping their way across the lot. The sky above was open to the moon.

Serene’s pack emerged at the same time standing about the same height as themselves, but Grey immediately noticed that the opposite pack were lankier and walked with a permanent hunch with tails limp and ears laid back. Some even walked with their hands touching the ground, constantly slinking away from each other or Serene.

But even though their stance was submissive, their faces were defiant and terrible. They were growling; lips pulled back over their teeth and eyes reflecting a feverous lust. Their bodies shook with anticipation and their muscles were pulled tight, so eager for release that they put themselves in pain. Their eyes never left the approaching pack, and Grey knew that they were also looking at them for weakness.

Grey growled and threw his back and howled, voice booming through trees above them. He heard the crows scatter and watched as black feathers and leaves floated to the ground. 

Fox lead his pack across the lot. Fox could feel his heart hammer in his chest and knew that the others were feeling the same rush of adrenaline that he did. He wasn’t scared, not even a little bit. He looked at these wolves and knew that his pack could win. After all, he’d taken down four of them as a wolf easy enough, and seeing them as werewolves he knew that this was something they could win. 

The air around him seemed to glow as Collin stepped up to his side. Fox wanted to look at him, maybe nuzzle him, but he didn’t want to put a target on the white wolf’s back by showing any kind of affection. Raven and Grey were at his left, ready to attack.

_This is our home,_ Fox said with his wolf-speak, his voice drifting to the pack across from him. _You’re not taking it from us._

Serene’s ears twitched and he bared his teeth. _I’m going to enjoy killing you._

The first move happened before the words were finished being spoken. The silver wolf of Serene’s pack launched itself at Raven, hoping to catch him off-guard. Raven jumped to the side, bringing his hand down on the attacking werewolf’s back, curling his claws through fur and flesh. Blood sprayed and snarls filled the air.

…

Collin ducked away from the swipe of claws, feeling them pass through his fur but not his flesh. Collin knew he was a main target here. He was the smallest of the pack, and the alpha’s mate, but he was not weak. He ducked and growled, lashing out and catching the werewolf in the stomach with his teeth. He felt teeth and claws against his back and shoulder, but he didn’t stop biting, even when his mouth filled with blood and it ran down his muzzle and neck, staining his white fur red.

Teeth caught his ankle and he was being dragged back. With a yelp Collin turned to the second werewolf was he was jerked off his teeth. Collin struggled to get to his feet, swiping at the two with his claws. If he didn’t get up, he was going to die.

His teeth found purchase on one of the wolf’s snouts, and when it jerked back he used the momentum to get to his feet and knock the werewolf off his. He turned back to the other wolf, the one he had been fighting with originally, and lunged.

The werewolf snapped at him and Collin leaned back, just enough to avoid being bitten. He lowered his body, planted his feet, and then slammed into the werewolf with his shoulder, knocking him off balance. The white wolf took advantage of the stumble and tackled the other werewolf, his teeth going for the belly wounds he had already created.

When the werewolf whimpered and tried to jerk away Collin had already ripped open his stomach and pulled back, wrenching free organs and guts, which spilled over the ground. The werewolf fell to the ground, shuddering and choking on blood. Collin bared his teeth and turned on his heel to the second wolf. It stood staring at him, ears up and eyes wide. 

The white werewolf’s lips pulled back into a smile.

The scent of blood was so heavy in the air that Grey could smell nothing else. Clouds crawled across the moon, forcing his eyes to adjust to darkness and the werewolf that stood in front of him, dripping blood and missing and eye. Grey wasn’t unscathed either. One ear was mangled and his scalp was bleeding and it felt like half his ribs were broken. The adrenaline was rushing through him like a drug though, and he didn’t feel any pain, he was just very much aware that when he moved, certain bones were not. 

The brown wolf lunged at him and Grey met him head on, locking his teeth over the muzzle of the werewolf. He felt bone crunch and winced at the feel of claws against his chest, but ignored it. He pulled back just enough to pull his teeth free, then snapped his jaws on the werewolf’s throat and tried to bite through fur to find flesh.

The werewolf lurched back, knocking them both to the ground in a desperate haste to get away. Grey pushed to his feet, teeth snapping the air. He turned, searching for his prey, when he saw Raven knock his opponent to the ground with a swipe of his hand. He heard the bones in the werewolf’s shoulder snapping from the impact. 

Not seeing where his prey had fled to, he stepped over to help Raven, snapping his teeth at the werewolf as it kicked at them and scrambled to its feet. It was shaking, one arm hanging useless at its side, and ears flattened back against his skull. Raven dove at it, teeth catching fur and a bit of flesh from its shoulder.

The werewolf used his good hand to claw at Raven and stumbled back away from the two. Grey watched as the werewolf tucked his tail between his legs and hunched to the ground. Raven snarled, grabbing the wolf by the nape and giving him a shake before tossing him to the ground. 

Grey was stepping forward when a body slammed him into the ground. For a moment the wind was knocked from him and he lay stunned, staring up as the clouds slid away from the moon and again silver light shined down on them. 

He flicked his ears when the werewolf that had tackled him was being dragged away by Raven. Grey pushed to his feet and pushed and circled around the other side of the werewolf. It snarled and tried to turn to keep both of them in sight, but it was impossible now that it was missing an eye. 

Grey shook out his fur, blood spray through the air. He looked at Raven, who looked wet in the moonlight; the black werewolf had a wildness in his eyes unlike anything Grey had ever seen. He stepped back, dropping his tail. He didn’t want to get between Raven and his prey. He was still the omega here.

He stayed behind Raven, watching as the black wolf advanced on the enemy. The one-eyed werewolf stepped back and stumbled. He seemed to look around, for way out, but Raven jumped and tackled him. The werewolf hit the ground with a yelp, struggling and kicking as the black wolf attacked.

…

Fox was focused only on Serene, and had realized very quickly that he had underestimated the older alpha. Serene was taller than he was, and a bit wider, and was a damn dirty fighter. Fox’s fur was wet from blood and sweat, his lungs were burning with each heavy breath and it felt like his left foot was broken, which made dodging the other werewolf’s teeth and claws difficult.

Serene used his weight and height against the younger, smaller alpha, continuously knocking Fox to the ground to forcing him to stumble to the side. Serene’s eyes glowed in the moonlight, crazed and wild, high on the blood around him. He continuously went for Fox’s neck and had torn away most of the heavy fur there that worked as a shield.

The young alpha shuddered, staring at the monster in front of him. Fox hadn’t had a moment to look at the fighting going on around him, all his attention was on the smirking bastard in front of him. He could hear snarls and cries and growls, could smell blood and bile and urine, but he had no idea who was winning, who was dead, and who was hurt.

And he couldn’t stop to look, or even linger on the thought. Serene was waiting for him to make a mistake, and once Fox did that, it would be over. 

Serene was grinning at him with a terrible expression, tongue hanging from his mouth, lips peeled back to show his blood stained teeth. Blood matted his dark fur and Fox could see bones sticking out of the werewolf’s arm. But Serene didn’t seem to notice the pain. His eyes were focused on Fox’s injured foot and the blood dripping in his eyes.

The yellow-eyed werewolf attacked and Fox lunged forward to counter the attack, only to be flung to the ground. He snarled in surprised and kick as Serene pounced on him, foot on his chest and pushing the air from his lungs.

For a moment panic filled his mind and Serene seemed to laugh before going for his neck. Fox kicked and pushed, biting and snapping, but Serene was heavier than he was and Fox couldn’t shake him off. Serene’s hand pressed on his chin, pushing his head up. Fox could feel his breath through his fur and tried to roll them, but he couldn’t breathe and was feeling weak. He—

Serene’s yellow eyes widened in a moment of surprise and he sprang away from Fox with a snarl. Fox gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. He leaned up, eyes looking for Serene, but they stopped on what had chased the alpha away. Collin stood above him, his white fur red with blood, brown eyes blazing with anger. Collin put his head down; teeth bared and flexed his hands, stalking toward Serene. As Fox rolled to his feet he noted that there was a chunk missing from Serene’s calf and he was limping.

Collin was between him and the other alpha. The white wolf moved quickly, bloodied fur blurring in the moonlight, as he attacked Serene head-on. The two scuffled, biting and snarling, before Collin shoved at Serene with his shoulder, knocking him back a couple steps. The alpha shook his head, confused for a moment.

Fox rushed to Collin’s side. _We do this together,_ Collin’s voice was set and his stare unwavering as he looked at Serene. His hackles raised and his tail was held high and proud. His ears were focused on his prey in front of him.

Fox’s ears flicked and he nodded, giving his mate’s bloody muzzle an affectionate lick before he turned and faced Serene. The werewolf snarled at them, hesitating now that he was facing them both and had an injured leg. He glanced around, seeing that the rest of his pack was falling around him. He’d lost, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop.

He lunged at Collin, hoping Fox would take the bait and try to dive between them.

Only Fox didn’t. He stepped to the side, letting Collin take Serene head-on again. As the two fought he went around to bite Serene’s injured leg, not letting go. He shook until he heard bones break. The alpha howled in pain and surprised, falling to the ground after Collin head-butted him.

Fox stepped on his back, listening to the bones break, and found Serene’s throat. The werewolf jerked against him, struggling, and Fox flicked his ears when Collin joined him, and together they tore the wolf’s throat out.

Warm blood spilled, painting their muzzles with a fresh coat of blood. Collin, panting in the moonlight, licked at Fox’s muzzle and Fox licked him back, nuzzling and smearing them both with blood. 

The body at their feet stilled, dead eyes staring up at the moon.

Breathing heavy, Fox finally looked around and saw that Grey and Raven stood nearby, both bloody and breathing heavy. He had a bit of a start when he realized that only one other wolf was dead, and the rest of the pack had shifted down into their wolf fur and were cowered together in surrender.

Fox threw his head back and brayed to the sky. Collin howled next, and then Raven and Grey. Moonlight glittered off the blood in their fur and the air around them seemed to steam from the heat pouring off their bodies and wounds. Flies were starting to buzz, attracted to the blood, and already crows were starting to flock around the dead.

Fox looked at Serene’s body and reached down, working with his hands and jaws to tear lose his head, then the rest of his limbs. He tore the dead alpha to pieces, and then howled again, blood spraying from his lips.

…

Vandina was running through the yards chasing fireflies. Luke had to admit it was pretty cute. The she-wolf loped gracefully through the grass, scaring up a rabbit, before she turned her attention back to the fireflies.

Only when the sound of snarls echoed from the trees did she stop. Luke jumped to his feet, heart in his throat. “What’s going on?”

Vandina couldn’t answer him. She only stood next to him, ears up and eyes on the trees. Her hackles raised and she snapped her tail. Luke swallowed hard and stepped back. The sound of snarls and howls grew louder and Luke had to cover his ears. He was walking through the yard, eyes closed tight as he tried to not think about what was happening.

Something brushed against his hip and he stumbled, falling over his feet in the grass. Vandina stood over him, her eyes on the trees, or more specifically, the glowing eyes in the shadows of the trees. Luke sat up in surprise.

Two werewolves stepped from the tree line. They were both thin and female, with dirty grey coats and scars etched through their fur. He was too distracted to notice that Vandina had changed into a werewolf until she was towering over him.

He looked at her, noting the differences in the three bitches. Vandina was slender but her body was healthy and muscled. Her mane was long and black, hanging down her back and over her shoulders across her furred breasts. She was built a lot like Collin, made for speed but still had muscles etched into her abdomen and legs. Her claws were long and glinted in the moonlight. She bared her teeth before snorting and huffing.

The two she-wolves hesitated, exchanging looks and stopping a few yards away. Luke stepped back, heart pounding in his chest and wondering if he could make to the house before they attacked. Vandina could certainly take them both, right? Collin had said that she was a fierce fighter, and no stranger to killing.

But…

Luke frowned and looked at the two werewolves. Did they have to die? They looked so miserable. They couldn’t be happy in the pack with Serene. He tilted his head and realized that it was quiet. The two females were looking at Vandina, who had her muzzle wrinkled but she wasn’t baring her teeth.

The two werewolves flinched when a flock of crows suddenly swooped in cawing and flapping their wings around them, causing them to back up a few steps and swipe unsuccessfully at them. Then the birds landed along the railing of the house, black eyes locked on the werewolves and feathers fluffed.

Luke backed up slowly, eyes locked with one of the werewolf females. Her ears were perked and trained on him, while the second female as slowly approaching Vandina.

They attacked at once and Luke turned and ran for the house, heart threatening to burst from his chest. He could hear Vandina and the other she-wolf fighting, but he knew he couldn’t help, so he kept running. He had reached the porch when teeth caught his pant-leg. He was jerked off his feet and was thrown across the yard. He hit the ground with loud yelp.

Luke was gasping for breath when the werewolf approached him. He threw his hands up to defend himself as the werewolf leaned over him. He expected instant death, but instead the werewolf hesitated over him. He opened his eyes, staring up at her.

Her muzzle was pulled back in a growl, but her ears were flicking back and forth and her claws were curling into the ground next to his head. She snarled, making him flinch, but she didn’t bite. 

“You don’t have to-to do this,” Luke whispered fearfully. “Y-you know that.”

A frown wrinkled her face and she snorted. Luke reached up, pressing his palm against the fur of the she-wolf’s cheek. She jerked back in surprise, blue eyes wide, before she snarled at him, snapping her teeth. Luke swallowed hard, but didn’t back down. He sat up and slowly stood, staring at her. 

He raised his hand, reaching for her again. It was strange, because there was no little voice telling him to stop, telling him that this was stupid or dangerous, instead he felt like it was what he needed to do. The werewolf huffed, showing her teeth again, but she didn’t attack him.

Finally he stepped forward and touched his hand over her flattened ears. He felt the she-wolf shake, her eyes on him. He took the opportunity to look at her, at the scars etched into her skin through her fur. 

“Serene is going to die,” he said quietly and felt her jolt under his hand, “and he won’t hurt you again.”

The werewolf stepped away from him, clarity in her blue eyes. She yipped and Luke looked behind him, where Vandina had the other female pinned to the ground. There was blood in the grass, but Luke didn’t think it was Vandina’s. 

Vandina turned to look at her, and then she was stepping away from both of them and circling to Luke, standing between him and the other two. Luke watched as the three females seemed to come to a decision, because the two she-wolves were suddenly leaving.

Luke gave himself a little shake. Had he seriously just done that? He looked at his hand and then looked at Vandina. “Oh my God, why aren’t I dead?”

She seemed to grin. She wasn’t as tall as Fox, but she still towered over Luke. Vandina seemed to huff a laugh before she leaned down and licked across Luke’s face.

“Ugh!” he gasped, wiping his hand across his face. “Why do werewolves always do that?”

Not that she could answer him; she only seemed to smirk at him. 

Luke craned his head back, looking up at the moon. It was bright and full, tucked amongst the stars, framed by the trees that surrounded the Howl house and the surrounding territory. It didn’t call or sing to him, and the pain that caused made him sigh.

Vandina pressed her nose into his hair and nudged him. She whined.

“I’m okay—“ he said softly. “It’s been hours, do you think…”

He jumped when the sound of howling filled the air. “That’s them…” he gasped.


	11. Sing With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this book. Thanks for sticking with me this entire way <3 It means so much to me! I hope I can start on the next one right away! That is, if my writer's block doesn't kill me first. But again, thank you for reading, and for ever kudos you leave. I appreciate it so much! xoxo

Grey reached home first. He hadn’t even Changed back into a wolf, just ran through the forest as a werewolf, eager to get home and check on Luke. He had left the others to finish disposing of the bodies and decide what to do with the rest of Serene’s pack. 

Running hurt, but it didn’t matter. His breath was short pants and it hurt, but that also didn’t matter. He would crawl if he had to, but he needed to get home. He stepped around trees and pushed branches from his face before he finally was crossing the yard toward the house.

The first thing that caught his attention was the scent of she-wolf. He looked around, but didn’t see any bodies, or any traces of a fight. There was a little blood in the grass but nothing that indicated that something bad had happened here.

He turned to the house just as Luke came running down from the porch with Vandina at his side. She was in her wolf-fur and wasn’t injured or bleeding. He wanted to ask her what happened, but all he could focus on was Luke crossing the yard to him.

Grey hesitated, knowing how he must look. He was injured and covered in blood, stinking so thick of it that he wondered if it would ever wash off. His heart was still thundering in his chest and he felt so full of energy that when Luke ran for him, he worried for a moment. Would his bloodlust drive him to hurt Luke? 

But he flicked his ears forward and felt no desire to hurt Luke. The only thing he felt was lust, and not for blood. Had he been human he would have blushed, and realized that the warming in his body should have been expected. The full moon alone always made him horny, but his werewolf had been satisfied with a great fight and lots of blood, and now he wanted sex. 

Grey closed his eyes to calm his body and his mind, and opened them only when he heard Luke stop a few feet away. Grey lowered himself to the ground, curling his front claws into the grass and hunching his shoulders. Luke was looking at him curiously, eyes laced with relief and confusion. Grey lowered his head and gave him what he hoped was a non-threatening wolf smile.

Luke’s face broke out into a huge grin and his eyes filled with tears. He wanted to hug Grey, and nearly stepped forward to try, but the werewolf was huge and bloody and Luke didn’t know how welcome the contact would be. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay!” he cheered as he hopped up and down once. “I could hear all kinds of howling and I was freaking out! And Vandina can’t talk to me so I had no-no idea what was going on!”

At the mention of her name the she-wolf nudged at Luke’s hand. 

“Where are the others? Are they okay?” he asked as he walked around Grey to peer in the shadows. He turned to the large werewolf who nodded once.

 _They’re coming,_ Grey said, though he knew that Luke couldn’t hear him. He pointed to the trees just as the others stepped out. They were still all bipedal as well, and looked just as exhausted as he did. They were all going to be sore as fuck in the morning.

Luke watched as the pack limped from the trees. Collin’s usually pristine white coat was covered in drying blood and mud, with the other werewolves looking very much the same. Fox was missing a lot of fur on his neck while Raven just looked wet, his black fur gleaming in the moonlight.

Vandina howled softly before she turned and ran toward the way of the road. Luke waved to her before he turned back to the rest of the pack.

“It’s like, midnight,” Luke said as he checked the time on his cellphone.

Collin’s ears drooped. Clearly that was not the answer he wanted.

Luke shuffled on his feet and ran his hand through his hair. “Collin, you look like you were in a horror movie,” he grumbled. “I mean—our lives are a horror movie but. Hey, should I get the hose?”

The werewolf’s ears perked and he nodded. So Luke turned to get the garden hose. When he came back the pack had shifted down into large wolves, sitting around the yard. Luke stood for a moment before he turned and went inside the house. He came back with a bucket and sponges.

“Um, so, line up?”

One by one the wolves stood in front of Luke who washed them down with cold water. The night air was hot and the cold water was welcome. He used sponges and a washcloth to rinse away the blood and clean the wounds the best he could. Many of them were healing already, the bleeding clotted, but Grey had a nasty laceration on his scalp and Fox’s back paw looked pretty bad.

“Do you want me to wrap this?” Luke asked as he gingerly cleaned the alpha’s injury.

Fox huffed before he looked back, running his tongue over the injury. Collin, sitting nearby and drying in the moonlight, growled something, which made Fox grunt and finally nod to Luke.

Luke patted him on the head before he went to the house for a roll of bandages. He returned and wrapped the wound carefully and let Fox go join the others. With everyone cleaned off he put the hose and bucket away, threw out the washcloth and sponges, and went back outside.

The pack was lying out in the warm grass. Luke sat down in the grass with them and laid down when Grey curled up beside him. He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the exhaustion set in the moment he knew his pack was safe and in one piece. He had so many questions, but none of them were going to be answered until the sun rose.

“Hey, Luke.”

Luke rolled onto his back, blinking sleepily. He was still lying outside in the grass, and standing over him was Grey. He was grinning brightly. “H-hey.”

“It’s morning,” Grey said as he reached for Luke’s hand. “We’re going inside.”

Luke let himself be pulled to his feet. Around him the rest of the pack was back in their human skins. They were still a little bloody, still bruised and hurt, but they were all smiling, despite their fatigue. 

“Do you guys want breakfast?” Luke asked when they were inside the house.

“If you want to cook,” Collin said as he and Fox headed for the shower.

“I do,” he said cheerfully as the two headed upstairs.

“I know I look like shit but,” Grey pulled Luke into his arms and kissed him. Luke didn’t seem to mind the blood and wrapped his arms around Grey and stood on his toes, pressing his body against the other boy’s. The kiss was deep and long, and had a shiver crawling up Luke’s spine. He pressed against Grey’s lips, trying to convey everything he was feeling into the moment. He wanted Grey to know how to relieved he was that they were alive; he wanted Grey to know just how much he meant to him. 

“I—you’re pretty sexy, you know that?” Luke whispered heavily.

“I’m sure I smell as sexy as I look and feel right now,” Grey whispered back. He pressed his forehead against Luke’s and took a deep breath. Then he was sliding his lips down Luke’s neck and finally hugged him, tucking his face against his shoulder.

“Grey, shower,” Raven called from the hallway as he walked in wearing a towel. His long black hair hung went down his back and his tanned skin was still flushed from the warm water. He had many cuts and bruises, and one deep wound on his arm.

Grey left and Raven started to sift through the first-aid kits when he glanced at Luke, who had been setting out everything he needed to make breakfast. “Would you mind helping me?” Raven asked.

Luke turned and nodded quickly. “Sure!”

As Raven sat down, Luke got the antiseptic cream and bandages and went to dress his cuts. Raven was surprisingly well defined in his chest and abs, and had a black Celtic band tattooed around his left bicep.

Luke stared at the tattoo before blushing. “When did you get this?”

Raven looked to see what Luke was talking about, before he smiled. “Oh, just recently. Vandina has taken up the art and I offered to be a guinea pig.”

“It looks really cool on you,” Luke said softly. 

Raven’s lips twitched into a little smile. He pulled his black hair over his shoulder so Luke could put a bandage across a deep cut on his back. 

After Raven went to dress Luke went continue making the pack breakfast. He opened the curtains in the kitchen and living room, letting in the sunlight as it crested the trees. Outside birds were singing.

Luke knew that the pack needed to eat a lot to make up for all the energy they burned last night. He wanted to make steaks, but there wasn’t time, everyone was going to want to sleep after eating, so he settled for bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs, with French toast because he knew it was Collin’s favorite. The pack was soon assembled around the kitchen table, wounds bandaged and dressed in pajamas. 

“Vandina said you had visitors here,” Fox said as he cut into a piece of French toast.

“Yeah, two females,” Luke answered. He had changed into pajamas as well and was sitting against Collin. He wasn’t as hungry as the rest, but had made himself a couple pieces of French toast drenched in syrup and blueberries.

“She said you stood up to them.”

Luke swallowed hard. “Well I…” he shrugged, and stared down at his food, pushing a blueberry around his plate with his fork. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m probably just lucky I didn’t lose a hand, huh?”

“I don’t think it was luck,” Raven softly spoke after lowering his coffee mug. 

“What was it then?” Luke asked.

Raven didn’t answer; he just looked at Luke before turning his attention back to his food.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to get an answer, Luke asked, “So what happened?”

“Collin and I killed Serene,” Fox said. “We let the rest of Serene’s pack go, after they agreed to never bother us again.”

Luke looked at his brother. “You killed someone?”

Collin lowered his coffee mug. “Two someones.”

“Are you…okay?”

Collin looked at him. After a long moment he exhaled and nodded. “I think so.” Out on the battlefield he hadn’t thought twice about gutting that first werewolf. Even when it had lain in the grass dying, guts spread out in the grass, he hadn’t felt badly about it. Only when the body had grown cold and turned back to human did a pinch of guilt swell up inside him.

But he was quick to remind himself that this pack had tried to murder Luke. 

“You don’t think the rest of the pack will come back here?” Luke asked.

“No,” Fox answered, “they saw what happened out there and knew their lives weren’t worth it. They weren’t ever model citizens, but Serene just made it worse, pushed them to their limits. But after they submitted I just…couldn’t kill them. But if they ever come near here again, I made it very clear, that I would kill them.”

Luke nodded. “Maybe they can…I don’t know, turn their lives around?”

“Life isn’t a Hallmark movie,” Collin said tiredly. He finished his food and leaned against Luke, hugging him. “Thanks for taking care of us, little brother.”

“Well, someone has to,” Luke said. “I can clean up if you guys want to sleep.”

“Just leave it,” Grey said as he stood up. He walked around to Luke and took his hand. “Come on, I need a snuggle-buddy.”

Luke smiled timidly at his brother before he followed Grey to his bedroom. The dogs were in there, asleep on the floor, and they stepped around them so they didn’t wake them. Then they were collapsing on the bed, Grey pulling Luke against him and holding him tight.

“Am I just like, a living body pillow for you?” Luke laughed quietly as Grey tucked his head under Luke’s chest and his cheek against his chest. Luke combed his fingers through Grey’s still damp hair.

“Hey, it works both ways,” he said sleepily. “You can spoon me anytime.”

Luke laughed softly. He felt the moment that Grey fell asleep, his entire body relaxing and he started to quietly snore. Luke closed his eyes, inhaling Grey’s sweet, clean scent. 

They were all safe and alive, and Luke was thankful.

…

Once month later the pack was struggling to stay cool from the continuously raging summer heat. It hadn’t rain in weeks and the sky always seemed clear and far too bright, with the sun blazing down on them. Heat and humidity continued to build and it was too the point that Fox, Grey, and Raven’s employer called off work due to the threat of heat-stroke and fire hazards. Burn bans were in place all over the city and surrounding suburbs and farm communities, but that hadn’t stopped brush fires from breaking out and one forest fire that had taken two weeks to contain.

“I say we go straight for Geode Lake and just sit in the water all night,” Grey whined. The full moon was that night and if it wouldn’t have driven him insane, he would have just stayed inside all night. But there was no sitting still or staying inside during the Moon. They would have to go outside and endure the heat.

Luke, who had been in the living room playing video games, rose to use the bathroom. He wasn’t going out with the pack so he wasn’t listening to their plans. He decided to use the downstairs bathroom, not wanting to go up into the upstairs which was hotter. After his business he was washing hands, and then suddenly, he was on the floor.

“Luke?” Collin called as he knocked at the door. “Hey, Luke?”

Luke couldn’t answer. He felt so consumed by pain that he couldn’t even cry out. He squeezed himself into a fetal position, teeth clamped together and eyes closed. He heard the door open and then footsteps near his head. Hands tried to roll him onto his back but any contact made him nearly spasm in pain.

He heard, distantly through the blood rushing through his ears, Collin calling for the rest of the pack. For a moment the pain ebbed and he sucked in several desperate breaths. Then his muscles all seemed to cramp at once, the pain making him twist on his back and finally he cried out. 

“Is he Changing?” he heard Grey ask.

“I think so,” Collin said, his voice both worried and excited. “We need to get him out of here; it’s too small for what’s going to happen.”

Luke wished they wouldn’t touch him, their hands felt like fire on his skin. They hauled him outside and lay him down in the yard, where the grass at least felt softer and cooler than their hands. But the pain didn’t stop, never seemed to stop. He cried out, tears running down his face as his stomach turned and he threw up.

Collin gently rolled Luke onto his side as he vomited. He watched as Luke seemed to seizure in pain; his limbs twitched as the muscles jerked and tightened beneath his skin. He’d grown pale as a ghost and his eyes, when open, were red from bursts veins. He rolled onto his back, head pressed back in the grass and hands digging in the ground while his back arched up. Then he fell back and shook again, sobs torn from his throat.

There was nothing they rest of the pack could say, nothing they could do. The first year of Changes would be this way: painful and terrible, so bad that you wanted to die with each and every time. All they could do was sit nearby, watching and telling themselves that soon Luke would Change, the pain would be gone, and they would be a complete pack.

But that didn’t stop Grey from sitting in the grass, watching as Luke sobbed on the ground in pain. He couldn’t comfort him or hold him; it would only make it worse. He bit the knuckles on his hand until he tasted blood. “Just hang in there, Luke,” he whispered.

“It’s rising,” Fox said, glancing to the trees where the silver moon was rising, but still not visible. Like Luke he also felt the need to Change, but his wasn’t nearly as painful anymore. It hurt, yes, but it also felt good, better than the best orgasm, as Grey would say. The changing of bones and organs and muscles, and then the sweet relief as the transformation finished and he was standing on four paws, panting the night air.

Luke was still on the ground and human, crying in pain, but his voice was growing rough and sounding more like a growl. Grey watched as all at once Luke was Changing. His clothes ripped away and the scent of blood filled the air. His skin ripped open as bones broke and realigned; his skin seemed to crawl as fur grew from it, covering his body as it healed over his bones and muscles. The worst was his skull, it crunched and morphed into that of a wolf, his face in terrible pain until he fell forward into a ball, body shuddering and shaking as the Change finished.

Everyone was silent, except for Luke, who lay there whining, still curled into a ball. All Collin could see was his backside, which was shaking with each breath. From this angle he could see that Luke was a beautiful honey gold with white tipped tail.

Slowly, so slowly, the gold wolf uncurled and stumbled to his feet. He was mostly gold in color, except for his underbelly which was soft white. His ears were tipped in a darker gold and he had white around his eyes. His head was still bowed and his sides heaved with each heavy breath.

Collin stepped forward slowly and approached the wolf which was smaller than himself. Smaller, fluffier and so beautiful. Collin gave him a wolf smile, and reached out and touched him with his nose. 

The gold wolf jumped back, stumbling over his paws. But when he looked up, the entire pack stepped back and Collin’s body tensed. The eyes looking back were just as honey gold as the rest of him. All werewolves kept their same eye color no matter what form they were in. But Luke did not have his signature lilac eyes. 

_Luke?_ Collin asked quietly. But the wolf didn’t seem to hear him. The wolf just stared at them, and then suddenly he raised his tail, flattened his ears and showed his teeth. Shock hit Collin like cold water, and he growled back.

The gold wolf snarled, body stiff and eyes glowing in the moonlight. The rest of the pack circled and Fox stepped past Collin, growling.

 _He doesn’t know us, Fox. I don’t think he can even hear me,_ Collin cried worriedly.

The gold wolf snapped at Fox and so Fox tackled him, forcing him onto his back and snapping his teeth at his belly. The wolf snarled and yowled, struggling and biting. Collin heard Grey whine behind him, but Raven stepped ahead of him before he could interfere. Dominance had to be placed otherwise the gold wolf might try to fight them.

Fox had the gold wolf pinned to the ground, his jaws around his muzzle and teeth cutting through fur and flesh. It disgusted him to taste Luke’s blood, but the wolf was still struggling and snarling, his body bucking against his own.

With a growl Fox bit down harder and the gold wolf finally seemed to give in, when suddenly Fox smelled the Change before it started. He leaped away, shocked as the wolf became a werewolf.

Like in wolf form he was small and gold; his face would have been sweet if he hadn’t been bearing his teeth at them all. They were all about to Change when the werewolf turned and fled into the forest.

 _Shit, catch him!_ Fox shouted as he stumbled to his werewolf feet and tore after the gold wolf. Collin was right next to him and while Raven and Grey, still wolves, ran ahead to cut Luke off. He heard a yelp and saw a body fly through the trees, but he didn’t stop. Luke was running toward the highway and he had to be stopped before a car saw him.

Collin ran ahead of him, stopping to circle Luke who had been stopped by a solid black werewolf. The gold wolf’s ears flicked back and forth and he snarled in defiance. Collin, snarling, stalked up to the gold wolf and hit it across the face, sending it slinking to the ground. He roared, voice shaking the trees around him and scaring away the birds. The gold wolf tried to get away, but Collin caught him by the arm with his teeth and jerked him back.

It was painful and terrible. This was his brother, but it wasn’t his brother. The eyes were all wild, all wolf; not a hint of humanity could be seen. And knowing that Luke was in there, but not with them at that moment was more painful than a bullet to his chest.

It took most of the night to get the gold wolf under control. More than once they ran him down and take him down with force. Soon the young werewolf was exhausted and was shrinking back down into a wolf. The rest of the pack did the same and herded him home.

The gold wolf paced back and forth, back and forth, hunger and bloodlust in his eyes. Collin knew that the wolf wanted more than anything to hunt. During his first few changes it was all he wanted to do, and even now he ached to hunt the deer he knew were nearby, but he had to stay here and keep an eye on his brother.

Fox had the gold wolf pinned down again, though his time it wasn’t fighting back so badly. Ears flat against his head, the gold wolf lay on his belly, tail between his legs and muzzle in a snarl, but not making any noise. When Fox leaned down and growled in his face, the gold wolf turned his muzzle to him and licked at the alpha’s chin.

Finally. Fox eased off and the gold wolf slowly sat up, watching them all with angry eyes, but he didn’t try to run or raise his tail. He just sat there, shoulders hunched and permanent scowl on his face. Only when Grey stepped forward, growling and sniffing at the wolf, did its reaction differ, and it almost made Collin fall over.

The gold wolf lay down and rolled over, showing his belly and neck, soft whines coming from its throat. Grey stopped and looked back and them, as confused as the rest.

 _He recognizes you as his mate,_ Collin realized in surprise. 

Grey didn’t know how he felt about this, because this was not his Luke looking back at him. It wasn’t his Luke that they had chased throughout the woods tonight, his Luke with the bleeding teeth marks across his muzzle, legs and across his honey gold coat.

Grey sighed, licking the blood from the wolf’s muzzle and growled with the gold wolf licked him back and raised his head. Grey backed away as the gold wolf rolled to his feet and let Fox rush forward, growling and forcing the wolf back down to the ground.

Raven went to stand near Collin and nudged against his shoulder. Collin appreciated the gesture and leaned on him, ears limp and tail sagging. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

…

Luke woke to sunshine on his face and voices around him. He opened his eyes and stared at the living room ceiling. Then he focused on the four faces looking down at him.

“What?” he asked with a frown. He realized then he was covered with a blanket because he was naked underneath. “Where are my clothes?” and then it occurred to him that his face hurt. When he raised his hand to rub his nose he saw that there were cuts and bruises across his arms and hands. “What happened?”

Looks were exchanged and as Luke sat up, Collin sat next to him. “Do you remember anything at all?”

He frowned and was quiet for a moment. Wait, he did remember now. Pain, so much pain and as it all came rushing back to him he felt sick. “I remember that it hurt.” He looked up, lilac eyes wide. “D-did I Change last night?”

Collin nodded, but he didn’t look happy. “Yeah, you did.”

Luke looked worried now. “Something bad happened, didn’t it? Did I hurt someone?”

Collin gently brushed his thumb across one of the cuts across Luke’s nose. They were healing, but hadn’t quite scabbed over yet. “No, you didn’t hurt anyone. But you Changed and it…wasn’t you.”

“Wasn’t me?” he said with a hitch in his voice.

“When we Change, we all maintain our eye color, always. But when you Changed, you didn’t have your eyes. You had a wolf’s eyes.” Collin was twisting the blanket between in his hands, his knuckles white and his face was pale.

Luke look confused, before a thought hit him like a lightening strike. When the hunters had taken him their goal had to been to separate him from his wolf, essentially tearing the beast from his body. Tears filled his eyes. “When I Change, I’m not _me,_ I’m the _wolf_.”

Collin nodded and wiped his eyes. “I’m afraid so.”

“S-so the hunters—were successful,” his voice was trembling and his body was shaking, “they did what they wanted to do—they separated us. I’m not—a wolf. I’m _not_ —“

Luke fought the urge not to sob but was unsuccessful. Collin pulled him against his chest and hugged him. Pain and anger boiled through him. “That’s not fair,” he cried. “I get to go through the pain, I get to remember all terrible fucking pain, and then I get to wake up and not remember a thing? I don’t get anything?” 

Collin knew what Luke must be thinking. No time with his pack as a wolf, no celebrating the full moon, not hunting and howling and playing. Just pain and then wolf took control and did whatever it wanted.

“We’ll figure something out, Luke. We’ll fix this.”

…

That night Luke Changed again. After twisting around on the floor screaming and bleeding from his mouth and eyes, he’d violently become a wolf. This time though, the wolf wasn’t going to easily submit. Defiance and anger glowed in its golden eyes and it fought them every step of the way. Nothing worked to calm it, subdue it, or stop its hunger. Raven even herded a stag into the yard for the wolf to hunt, but after killing the beast, the gold wolf had grown even more blood-thirsty and savage.

The pack spent the entire night once again chasing down and hunting a member of their own pack. They were all cut up and exhausted when the sun rose, but the gold wolf never stopped fighting, not until the moon fell and it was forced back to human skin.

…

“We need some way to contain him,” Fox said that morning. He and Raven were sitting outside in the sunlight drinking coffee and tea. Collin and Grey were inside with Luke, who was still asleep.

“We can’t leash or muzzle him,” Raven said softly. 

“Could we lock him in the basement?”

Raven rubbed his forehead. “The door isn’t secure enough. However there may be another way.”

Fox looked at him. Raven looked pale and exhausted, and his blue eyes were deep and troubled. It was unnerving to see Raven so unkempt. He was usually the rock of their pack. “What is it?”

“A cage.”

Fox’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

“The basement’s foundation is stone and brick,” Raven said, “if we reinforce one corner with concrete and more stone, we can add bars and a door. Make it small enough and he won’t be able to become a werewolf in it.”

“Raven, that’s—“

“Horrible,” Raven finished with a slow nod, “it’s horrible, Fox.”

“You’re right though,” Fox said as sickness settled in his stomach. He wanted to throw up. “How do we do this? I doubt there are videos on YouTube on how to build your own dungeon. Or—they won’t be the right kind of dungeon.”

Raven arched one eyebrow before he understood Fox’s words. He snorted.

“We’ll figure it out together. But we only have a month,” Raven said. “It has to be ready by then. I have a feeling that he wolf inside Luke is only going to grow more and more feral. Next time he gets free he’s going to kill someone.”

Fox nodded slowly. “We’ll make it happen.”

…

Luke sat downstairs on the sofa, staring into the darkness, knees drawn to his chest and body shaking. He’d been feverish the entire day and into the night as the full moon rose for its third night. Outside it still looked as full as it did the night before, but apparently its pull wasn’t enough to force him to Change, just nearly drive him insane with pain.

Grey came from the kitchen carrying a fresh cold-pack. “Here,” he said as he sat down next to Luke and pulled his hands from his face. He gently pressed the cold-pack to the boy’s forehead. Luke sighed and looked at him, eyes red-rimmed and hair wet from sweating. “Did the Tylenol help at all?”

“No,” Luke whimpered. He put his feet down and closed his eyes for a moment as nausea rushed over him. “You can leave me here, Grey, go outside with the others.”

Grey shook his head. The others were out in the yard in wolf form, unable to ignore the call of the moon though it may not be as demanding as the previous nights. However Grey couldn’t leave Luke in here, and if he hadn’t stayed, then Collin would have, and the boy was already worked up enough. Collin needed to be outside with Fox and Raven, and Grey needed to be in here with Luke.

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Grey said and kissed Luke’s cheek.

Luke tried to smile, but the pain was simply too much. “It feels like my insides are on fire…it hurt’s so damn much and it just builds and builds and…and it’s like it’s never going to stop. Is it going to be like this every month? Grey, I can’t live through this.”

Grey pulled him close and hugged him. He didn’t have any answers for him. All he could do was hold him. He pressed a soft kiss to Luke’s neck and tried to soothe him the best he could. He was holding him, rocking him back and forth gently, when he felt Luke turn to look at him.

And he nearly leaped off the sofa when he saw a pair of golden eyes staring at him. He sucked in a breath and stood quickly, knocking Luke to the floor in the process. The boy landed with a sound and turned around to stare at him, eyes normal again.

“The fuck?” he gasped. “Why did you throw me down?”

Grey was staring at him. “I just…I thought maybe you were Changing and…but I was mistaken. I’m sorry darling,” he said, going to helping him up. He ushered Luke back to the sofa and gave him the cold pack which had been thrown aside. 

Luke wanted to question him, but he was soon doubled over in pain again. Grey rubbed his back, but knew he had to tell the others. He promised Luke he’d be right back and went through the front door and out into the yard. He Changed and ran down into the grass, sniffing for he others when Collin, glowing in the moonlight, ran from the trees.

 _Grey, do I need to go inside?_ he asked, assuming that Grey wanted to switch places.

 _Something is wrong, I mean, more than what we thought,_ he said, as he sat down in the grass with a low whine. Fox and Raven loped from the trees and they sat in a circle. He explained what happened while holding Luke, and they wolves exchanged looks. 

_What if the wolf takes over?_ Grey asked. _I mean, is it possible?_

Collin growled, but he was staring down at his paws. _No, it can’t happen._

Everyone looked at Raven. He flicked an ear and exhaled a heavy breath. _I’ll do some research and make some calls to my family pack. I’ve never heard of the wolf taking over before, or the wolf peering out without the person knowing what was going on._

 _This is going to kill him,_ Collin said quickly. Fox gave him a nudge and tried to nuzzle against his neck to calm him. _If not literally, then mentally; I don’t doubt that Luke is very strong but this…this is something that could drive any of us mad. Fuck, I did go mad._

 _We all did, our first year,_ Fox agreed. However Luke’s condition might never stop, and he’d have to endure this pain for the rest of his life. Fox didn’t think that he could even handle that kind of horror. _We’ll work our way through this. We’ll figure it out._

 _How?_ Collin whined sharply with a glance to the house.

Fox didn’t have an answer; he just knew they had to have faith to get through this. He stood up and gathered them all and they went inside. Luke had moved to the floor where he laid curled up, eyes closed and whimpering. The pack settled in around him and the closeness seemed to calm him down a little. Luke used Collin’s side as a pillow and fell into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares, just like before he’d found out what he was.

Grey rested his chin on Luke’s hip and stared out the window at the moon. This was just another hurtle in their lives, or that’s how he was going to look at it. Another challenge that they would, as a pack, overcome together. And Grey knew that someday they would all be out under that moon, the five of them together, howling together as a pack.

**Author's Note:**

> http://softwolffeathers.tumblr.com/


End file.
